JL9000

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Asura
I think the 'rumors' you heard might be referring to the related Spoon parts.

smccurry

Great post Road Rage. This post should be a made a "sticky" in the DIY section. When I tried installing my t-stat 2 years ago, the most informative posts were "attack it from the bottom, it's a cinch". I found it was much more difficult to get to than everyone else was reporting. Your post sums up how to do it easiest and also points out precautions for a first-time DIY'er. Bravo.

Road Rage

Thanks, everyone. The engine will go into closed-loop status with the Mugen. And thanks for no "where are the pics" posts - I think the art of the word is dying, and a description tells more than a pic. It is more work, though.

Using the OBDII Scanner, from a cold start and at idle, here is what I found:
The maximum temps for each "Bar" in degF:

Bar1: 134
Bar2: 139
Bar3: 141
Bar4: 147
Bar5: 154
Bar6: 159
Bar7: 167 - it held a long time because the thermostat opened
Bar8: 177

Normal driving caused the engine coolant temp to stay around 170-174.

Yes, oil temps will of course be higher, I posted that - about 20degF or more. That is essential.

I found that the fan switch cut on at about 186, and cut off at 174.

Road Rage

[QUOTE]Originally posted by reds2
You don't have to loosen the under shielding to drain the coolant. There is an opening in the shield to access the drain knob. I broke my OEM fan switch because my socket wasn't deep enough.

reds2

oh yeah. But if you wanted to just do a coolant flush, you can drain the radiator without having to take off the shielding. The drain knob is readily accessible. To get to the fan switch you need to remove the shielding.

Road Rage

Yes, I thought the thread was not about how to drain the coolant, but you are right - in fact, there is a hole in the shielding to allow the attachment of a hose to the drain petcock's nipple (sounds like Sex Ed class, no?). Only Japanese cars have this in mye xperience - they are very cl-ean and tidy people.

ExOdy

I've never had to remove the shielding (commonly called the splash guard) to remove the thermoswitch.

smccurry

Are you certain? I don't recall being able to see/access the thermo switch without removing the plastic under-panel.

Asura

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JL9000

johninator

Thats interesting, my coolant temperature stablelizes at around 185 - 190F. Thats coming from the upper radiator hose near the thermostat. I wonder how the block reads 170F?