Once again I couldn't get the search to find what I wanted. So can someone direct me to the thread on putting a 4th gen thermostat in a. 2nd gen? Was it a 205 degree stat?

I slip a piece of cardboard between the rad and the air cooler. I find I get good heat in the cab with 195 degree coolant but at 190 it's already not nearly as warm. I want to try the hotter stat to see if it helps at all. I can't see it hurting in any way. By the way it's already been down to -13 here.

If you are not getting good heat at 190°, but 195° works I would guess there are other issues.

I'm not a fan of the cardboard idea. You block airflow to the engine bay. That leaves an aspect of overheating if its not cold enough. But airflow is also a factor. What I mean is the lack of air flow due to the fan being blocked. IIRC, it puts extra strain on the fan or fans.

If the cardboard is infront of the intercooler then the fan isn't stressed, and generally the fan doesn't cycle as it's too cold anyhow. The OEM front for my 05 covers the entire grill, with 4 flaps in the middle.

All I can say is be careful. Remember the turbo is still capable of 250-300*F discharge temps even at -20*F. At least with a covered grill the fan can still sense the heat and lock if need be. With the hole in the center that guarantees the fan remains unlocked because the fan hub always senses cold air and never locks. With a grill cover the ambient temp will rise too the point of trip the fan to partial lock to cool. I can see this with IAT temps and coolant temps. My issues is mostly because of all the canyon grade and climbing I've got to do so with the turbo working harder than flat land then the boost actually is the heat generator not the coolant.

I always stick a chunk of cardboard between the intercooler and radiator. My thinking is i want the cool air across the intercooler but not the radiator. But the more i think about it, the cooler intake air might defeat the cardboard. Never even thought about cutting a whole to let cool air hitting thr fan

I always stick a chunk of cardboard between the intercooler and radiator. My thinking is i want the cool air across the intercooler but not the radiator. But the more i think about it, the cooler intake air might defeat the cardboard. Never even thought about cutting a whole to let cool air hitting thr fan

No way to for air to flow over the intercooler if the radiator face is blocked. You have to have a entry point and exit point for air to flow straight through. Air doesn't like to turn corners unless the far end has a low pressure point (hence a fan sucking air through a radiator or cooler).

I have a hole cut for the fan clutch. I've monitored ect and iat and the ect is always the first to heat up if I'm pulling hard or the weather warms up. So I just pull the cardboard at that point.