Hey Guys, Has anyone tried to louver their hood??? I live in south Texas and it gets really hot here in the summer just looking for a way that might let my TJ run a little cooler.
Has anyone installed hood louvers to lower under hood temps?
- Thread starter Pho20
- Start date
Yeah, lots of people here have done it. The old Grand Cherokee louvers were popular on here a few years ago. Others do the single hood louver like Poison Spyder offers.
They don’t provide much cooling. The best thing you can do is have your cooling system in tip top condition. There’s plenty of air moving through the engine bay as you drive down the road. They are mostly aesthetic.
Thermostat should be a 195*,
Welcome to the forum.
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OP
Ok THANKS. I have a 195* thermostat but it runs just under 210 on the gauge so I was looking to see what I might do to bring it down some
210 is exactly where it should be running, with a 195 stat.
I live in Central Texas, and when it’s in the 100’s, I can run in the freeway 104 degrees outside, AC on and be just under 210.
Doing a good flush with ThermoCure and making sure everything is in good condition and you’ll run fine without cutting the hood, unless you like that look.
That’s normal for a 195* thermostat.
My son has had three different 195* thermostats on his. The one he has now is a Flowkooler. The temp only climbs to about 200* with it. The other two ran up to 210*. So, there is that option.
That's EXACTLY the correct temperature it was designed to run at. Adding hood louvers will not cause it to run any cooler.
I think you misunderstand the purpose of the thermostat. The thermostat makes sure to stay closed until you reach 195F. In other words, it sets the minimum temperature because the computer wants you at at least 195F. The system running at 210F is normal and is what the radiator/water pump/fan are designed to keep the engine at in most conditions.
There is nothing to fix.
There is nothing to fix.
210 is prefect, you could add a Aux cooking fan if you want to have colder A/C at lower speeds. But running down the road that’s prefect
Dallas over here.
Dallas over here.
KennethS
TJ Enthusiast
I agree with all of the above. Here in Phoenix the summer temps get well above 110ºF and I have driven in rush hour traffic, AC on, highway speeds, 4-wheeling, etc, without the engine overheating, or the gauge even moving above the normal operating point.
I will add that the louvers can help lower the underhood temps a bit, but as has been stated will have no effect on the operating temp of a properly running engine.
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But it might LOOK cooler.
OP
WoW ok Thanks guys for the info. What started the whole thing was I got a check engine light and the code was PO28 so I changed the thermostat water pump and hoses. I think it had a lower temp thermostat before I changed everything and that's what was throwing me off
and before your start thinking I'll tell you don't even consider putting a 185deg thermostat in it ! yes it will bring your temp down but your fuel mileage will go to shit and your engine will run like shit too !
I'll tell you don't even consider putting a 185deg thermostat in it ! yes it will bring your temp down but your fuel mileage will go to shit and your engine will run like shit too !
OP
and before your start thinking
I think that's what it had in it before and that's why when it got up to 210 it didn't look right to me THANKS
It might bring down the temp on the gauge, just not the engine.
naw it will bring down the engine temp just enough to cause the computer to have fits trying to correct it !
"Running a lower temperature thermostat will not bring down engine temperatures, it only controls OPENING TEMPERATURES. The only "benefit" is that you have now increased the amount of time it will take for your vehicle to reach operating temperature."
A 180 or 165 degree thermostat won't help it run cooler in warm or hot conditions. If it could we wouldn't need the big radiators we do.
KennethS
TJ Enthusiast
The thermostat sets the minimum "operating temperature" of the system. If there is adequate cooling capability, then the system will not rise above the thermostat opening temperature.
I removed the thermostat when flushing the cooling system and the engine ran at around 140F.
After installing the thermostat it ran at around 200F.