Yeah i ran this set up without the thermostat in place and it idled at 145 for about 5 min before. Way too cold i think.

 

1. Remove lower radiator hose from radiator and stock thermostat.

2. Drain Radiator (follow local hazard waste collection procedure)
3. Remove coolant pump feed hose (center hose below) and

3. Remove expansion tank hose (at right of water pump feed hose)
4. Cut BMW hose to fit and secure with worm screw clamps

5. Refit expansion tank hose and secure with worm screw clamp

6. Position the clamps in such a way that it will be easier for you to remover for maintenance later.

6. Secure thermostat in vise and drill 1/8th hole.

6.Remove fan shroud

8. Remove coolant bleed "T" and coolant hose going to thermostat.
9. Install Petcock in 32mm water adapter.
10. Install thermostat in meziere housing utilizing enclosed gasket to ensure water tight fitment.
11. Using the coolant feed hose removed in step # 3, cut to desired length and fit between water adapter and meziere housing.
12. Cut stock top radiator hose as required to achieve desired position.
13. Cut fan shroud to accommodate meziere housing ensuring a downward slope is maintained.




14. Flush coolant and bleed.
15. Test drive.

 

is there any difference in the 180 thermostats you can buy at autozone?....the one i have from summit is a 160 and i'm told its gonna be too cold..... autozone sells a 180' but it looks different then the 160 from summit

 

also what inline housing did you guys use...the 1-1/4 or the 1-1/2

 

I was one of the first people to do this mode. All I can tell you is just do it and forget looking at your temp gage. The temp is more constant with this setup. Liner problems probably have more to do with temperature fluctuations. My truck would run at 210 at idle and 190 while driving, now it is around 190 all the time unless I am going dow a hill for a few miles and it is cold out.

 

03discoman,

Get the 180 t-stat and the 1 -1/4 as in my little write-up...

 

i tackled this tonight...what a PITA...

coolant draining was messy...i took 2 showers... lol got the lower hose on and then did the front....i washed everything down with the hose to give me a starting point for coolant leaks......after its dry i'll crank her up and bleed..

i filled the coolant up before and after the thermostat...hopefully thats enough to get me through the bleeding process so i dont starve the cooling system at start up

 

my current idle temp is 181/183 after 30 mins of idle .....it was 18' higher today when i scanned it....thats AMAZING.....not to mention ....the engine bay is alot cleaner with the new setup....

the only thing i worry about is bleeding the coolant.....it takes forever and i worry that i didnt get it all

 

Alright, I've ordered the main bits I can't get locally, all I need now is the petcock and thermostat. I'm curious about the 170 degree thermostat. A couple of you are at ~190 with the mod, discoman is at just over 180. If I were to get the 170, one would think that at the coldest it would run is just over 170, but it may also run 10 degrees hotter so I would be at around 180. One eighty would be perfect, ten degrees cooler maybe not so much, but half the driving I do now with the disco is slow crawling off road, so that is the type of driving that would keep it on the hot side. Whats the worst that can happen if it does run at 170?

 

It you run it to cold your MPG will drop, it will cause excessive carbon build up on the intake valves and your heater wont work for crap and you will burn up your cats.

With this mod I think you guys could run a 190* t-stat, the DI uses a 195*.

Your truck will run at the t-stat temp, no hotter unless it is working hard or there is a cooling problem.
The coolant heats up, t-stat opens, coolant runs through radiator, coolant cools, t-stat closes, repeat.
This happens as long as the engine is running, the t-stat does not just open once it reaches temp and then stay open until you shut the engine off.
It is constantly opening and closing.
My truck has a 195* t-stat and she runs at 196-198*, if she idles for 20 min or more then she hits 205*
I have not taken her off road since the new fan clutch was installed so I can not attest to those temps yet.