996 Lower Temperature Thermostat ?

[racerden]

Hello everyone. This is my first post AND first 996 (2003 Carrera Targa) so bear with. I am interested in replacingthe OEM 186F thermostat with one around 175F. Pelican lists an aftermarket dealio at 160F which is too cold. Any suggestions and I guess more importantly, how to?

Love the site, thanks!

Denny

[mcmike27]

D, welcome...and congrats....there are several folks on here that are really really good and know their stuff. Loren is a great source of info as is JFP in Pa. There are many many others that can answer questions and help guide you. I have switched the stock 180 deg t-stat on our 98 986 to the 160 deg t-stat with great results along with the larger 'S' type oil cooler and it has made a nice difference when it's hot here in Pa in sumer driving. That being said there will be those that say it was engineered with a 180 deg t-stat dont change it. Our car has 95k miles on it and ANYTHING that will help with the wear and tear i.e. HEAT was something I was willing to try. So far it's been fantastic. L&N sells them and they are great to deal with and ask questions of. Ask on the site and you will get many replies. You will have to decide for yourself. The DIY is listed here for the swap as is the water pump. The trickiest part is bleeding the cooling system. There is a DIY for that as well with the tools needed to accomplish all that we've discussed. Let the learning FUN begin. These cars are a hoot to drive and care for but they do have their 'quirks'.

Welcome aboard..

m2

[racerden]

D, welcome...and congrats....there are several folks on here that are really really good and know their stuff. Loren is a great source of info as is JFP in Pa. There are many many others that can answer questions and help guide you. I have switched the stock 180 deg t-stat on our 98 986 to the 160 deg t-stat with great results along with the larger 'S' type oil cooler and it has made a nice difference when it's hot here in Pa in sumer driving. That being said there will be those that say it was engineered with a 180 deg t-stat dont change it. Our car has 95k miles on it and ANYTHING that will help with the wear and tear i.e. HEAT was something I was willing to try. So far it's been fantastic. L&N sells them and they are great to deal with and ask questions of. Ask on the site and you will get many replies. You will have to decide for yourself. The DIY is listed here for the swap as is the water pump. The trickiest part is bleeding the cooling system. There is a DIY for that as well with the tools needed to accomplish all that we've discussed. Let the learning FUN begin. These cars are a hoot to drive and care for but they do have their 'quirks'.

Welcome aboard..

m2

Thanks for your welcome, it's very much appreciated. I live here in Los Angeles and frequently visit a vacation home in one of nearby deserts. I'm a GM Service Manager & Master Tech and know exactly what a lower T-stat can add especially over the life of a vehicle. And yes, I'm truly digging driving the Ultimate! Thanks again pal.

[JFP in PA]

Depending upon the ambient conditions, with a 160F stat in your M96 and in “steady state” driving (open road, constant speed); you will be running in the mid 170’s to perhaps low 180’s, so your concerns about it being too cool are unfounded. Remember that the stat controls the minimum operating temperature, thereby lowering the steady state temp. With the 160 stat in place, in heavy traffic you will still heat up enough for the fans to kick in, but when you get moving again the temp will drop back to a lower steady state condition. Two things to also consider; Porsche uses a 160 stat in some their high end engines from the factory, and your OEM stat starts to open in the low 180’s, but is not fully open until well over 200F (the dash gauges in these cars are both inaccurate and non-linear), and you are probably running in the 210F and up range at steady state currently.

[racerden]

Depending upon the ambient conditions, with a 160F stat in your M96 and in “steady state” driving (open road, constant speed); you will be running in the mid 170’s to perhaps low 180’s, so your concerns about it being too cool are unfounded. Remember that the stat controls the minimum operating temperature, thereby lowering the steady state temp. With the 160 stat in place, in heavy traffic you will still heat up enough for the fans to kick in, but when you get moving again the temp will drop back to a lower steady state condition. Two things to also consider; Porsche uses a 160 stat in some their high end engines from the factory, and your OEM stat starts to open in the low 180’s, but is not fully open until well over 200F (the dash gauges in these cars are both inaccurate and non-linear), and you are probably running in the 210F and up range at steady state currently.

Thanks JFP. Understood about the heavy traffic business; an open thermo is 'an open thermo' no matter what the coolant temp. And i figured the analog gage was just that; analog. One request please:

Being a newbe to Renntech, I've tried to find the DIY on thermostat replacing using the search tab however, some direction w/be much appreciated. All I came up with was w/pump directions.

Thanks again, the site is great!

[JFP in PA]

Pelican Parts website has a tutorial for changing the water pump and thermostat, with pictures, which should be helpful, just leave out the bits about the water pump. Pedro’s Garage site has a good one as well. If needs be, one of the Bentley manuals for the Boxster may come in handy as well. You are going to need two gallons of Porsche’s antifreeze concentrate, two gallons of distilled water (pre mix them outside the car first), some anti-seize for the coolant drain plug, plus a new washer for it (dealer item for a few cents), an inch pound torque wrench for the stat housing, a new stat housing gasket (metal, do not reuse), and a very large container to drain your coolant into, then you should be set. Be sure to “burp” the system after refilling if you do not have access to a vacuum filling tool……….