170 thermostat?

[rev_rock]

I'm having the heads done (resurfaced, valve job, gaskets) on my '93 Camry V-6 (153,000 miles on it). The water pump, timing belt and thermostat were changed less than 3,000 miles ago. Since I've ran Bar's Leaks gasket sealer (I know, not really the best thing to do!) in it, I'm also putting a new radiator in it, and I thought I'd put in a new thermostat (after flushing the whole thing, of course). The factory thermostat is a 180, but I saw a listing for a 170. I'm considering trying out the 170, since the reason I'm having the heads done is because of overheating (which occured before I ever got the car). I know that the main cause of the 3VZFE motor is head movement, but I'm sure that heat also plays into the equation.

My question is, has anyone tried a cooler thermostat on this motor? If so, did it help? Thanks for any input!

[rev_rock]

Okay, there have been 23 views on this thread, and no one seems to have any input? I guess this is either something that no one has ever thought of (or tried) for this motor, or else no one knows wants to take a guess. I think I'm going to go ahead and try it and see what happens. Obviously, it'll be a long term test to see how it goes, but I'll post again with the results.

Thanks for nothing, guys!

[fakehawk]

do you know what temp the fan kicks on?
i don't see how this could really hurt, it'll take a slight bit longer for the engine to warm up to operating temperature (i'm guessing 200 F ???)
you might want to see if they have that temp in the fail safe thermostats. these open up when they fail therefore your car won't overheat, just take forever to warm up....

[Kevs Toy]

Try registering on www.mr2oc.com and posting there man. There's a section for the v6 guys and quite a few people there familiar with the 3vz. I always tend to say cooler is better, but some people argue. Id say if you were boosted then def. go for it but not sure if much benefit or anything to worry about NA. Really I think proper cooling system maintance is key to preventing it from happening again

[rev_rock]

Hope everyone took my previous "thanks" as a tongue-in-cheek comment!

I am thankful for the replies, guys! I guess it's a moot point now, since the parts store didn't have the 170 thermostat in stock (like they said). I went ahead and got the 180. Oh well, maybe we'll hear from someone else someday who tried it.

Thanks again!!!

[Eye8Pussies]

actually, a good number of us have tried it...I posted up about it a couple years ago I believe....try using the search fucntion as well next time

[rev_rock]

Originally Posted by Eye8Pussies

actually, a good number of us have tried it...I posted up about it a couple years ago I believe....try using the search fucntion as well next time

Well, did it help, or could you tell any difference?

Thanks for your input!!

[Eye8Pussies]

yup, it dropped my oil temps by about 10degrees as well....so an easy, and cheap alternative to the TRD thermostat for sure

though, for real....many people run some decent boost on the stock thermostat and are still perfectly fine. The V6 cooling system was designed quite well on the camry