 Coolant Temperature
I have a 91 Fleetwood RV, that was built on a Ford E350 frame. The engine is a Ford 460 with 41,000 miles. After having some work done, I notice that the Coolant Temperature Gauge now indicates that the engine is running hotter than it has in the past. I suspect a hotter thermostat may have been installed, or the old one may have just been stuck open.
When checking for replacement thermostats I have found they come in many flavors, including 160, 180, 192 and 195 degrees. The thermostats listed on a parts site (autozone) state that the original equipment temp was 192/195 degrees.
I live in Phoenix Arizona, and in the summer, its hot as hell. Any major traveling to the north or west means that I have mountain passes to go thorugh, so keeping the engine as cool as I can is critical.
Question 1: Are there really any drawbacks to installing a thermostat with a lower temp such as the 160 deg ones? The engine has never had a problem passing emissions when it was running cooler.
Question 2: Does anyone know what the maximum safe coolant temp would be for a 1991 ford 460? .... Its understood that the needle should never enter the "red" zone at the top of the gauge. However, I would like to replace the current gauge with one that lists actual temperatures. Some of the aftermarket coolant temp gauges list temps as high as 300 degrees, however I doubt that high of a temp would not also come with some major engine damage, so it would be nice to know the maximum safe range for this size engine...... I have searched the web, but not found much in the way of engine coolant temperature listings. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance. | 
