I searched for an answer to thisquestion in all forums butfound nothing.I apologize for this very basic question but I would like to hear what you all have to say about this. And thank you in advance for your replies.

I live in the upper peninsula of Michigan, so hot weather is very uncommon (summer average temps. = 80 degrees) and now winter is definetly upon us. My thermostat went out on me the other day andit needs to be replaced. AsI was looking online, I realized I am not exactly quite sure what temp thermostat is the right one for me. My 95 Blazer 4.3L vin "W" is bone stock, no mods., so do I get the 180, 190, or 195? I should know this, but I don't. Can anyone help me?

 

180 is fine....

 

what do the different temps actually mean? is it the temp at which the thermostat opens? what would putting a higher temp one do? don't you normally want your vehicle to run as cool as possible?

sorry to throw out so manyquestions.

 

Well the stock one is a 195 which means the thermostat opens at about 195. The cooler the engine runs below its designed operating temp the less efficent it runs generally. Being that youare in a cold climate like me you would probably want to stick with the stock 195 so that you can get the extra heat out in the winter to melt the ice and snow. If we were in hot areas I would lean toward a lower thermo. Basically a colder thermostat will open at lower temp allowing the radiator to be included in the cooling system at a lower temp. In -10 air temps this means when your thermo opens at whatever temp you get -10 degree coolant mixes with the temp of the coolant in the engine determined by the thermos temp. This will cause the thermo to close hopefully so the engine will stay at its optimal temp or at least closer to it. Thus if a 180 is in and the air is -10 and your truck has sat when the thermo opens at 180 its temp may go down to 140 before closing where if it where a 195 it may only go down to 155.

 

Stock is 195*F for all of these trucks, regardless of year. A 180* stat may cause interior heating issues with sub zero temps outside.

 

ya def wnat the engine to run cooler, a hotter thermo will take too long to open and prob cause the truck to overheat,, These blazers need the cooler air ... the cooler the air the better...

 

would it be beneficial then to install a hotter thermostat beyond 195?Iam assuming that there are thermostats hotter than 195ie., residents of Alaska.

 

sorry, just saw your post after I posted mine.

 

I wouldnt go any hotter than 195 where we do still get an 80 or 90 degree day and if you end up towing something or using the a/c in traffic it wouldnt be good to be hotter.

 

So the thermostat that the engine was designed to use will cause the engine to overheat?

A thermostat has nothing to do with air... I would agree that the cooler the *air* the better, however, when an engine, cooling system, and heating system is designed around a system temperature of 195*F, you are bound to have issues with something when using a lower temp thermostat, especially when you know the outside temperatures involved. I could get into actual heat output for you if you would like.

If this truck were to be driven in Florida or Arizona, I would say go with the 180*F (do not do this with a 98+ truck though). There is very little difference between the 190 and the 195 degree stats, but I would still go with a 195*F stat given the expected outside temperatures. And I would not go over that temp even if there were a higher temp thermostat available.