hey guys the other day i went out with my 272 454 baja, i was alright heading out, but wen coming home i started running hot and had to stop several times to let it cool down,it was near 200, so i got it home and changed the thermostat it was pretty rusty and looked original,it calls for a 160 but i went with a 140,i took it out yesterday and it ran great stayed at 150 at cruising speeds and wen i ran it full throttle hard it would go to 170 and stay there, the second i pull the throttle down it would go right to the 150.. perfect i thought, then wen i was coming home again i ran full throttle then backed off it and watched my temp go down to about 110 it stayed there then wen i got on it she went up to about 125 and stayed there.. could it just be my temp sender? i played with the wire and ground and got nothing, i grounded out my wire to see if the gauge was working and it went all the way up, so im assuming its just the sender.. any other opinions? thanks guys

oh its carb and no computer, so i figured the 140 stat wouldnt hurt being i like running full throttle..

My 272 always runs a little hotter when I'm running WOT. But generally stays right around the temp of the thermostat or about 10 degree warmer. The sender or the gauge could be going bad. I know of a few people that were having problems with the faria gauges after time, mine still worked before pulling them too.

Just for another thing too, check your raw water impeller and make sure that its not dry rotted, or missing vanes. That could cause poor cooling conditions too, cheap part, easy fix. I changed mine annually.

I run a 160, the engine needs to have some temperature to it to function properly and last. Hence the reason you "warm up" your engine(s). If the motor is constantly cool, then it will end up causing more damage over time than running your thermostat.

If your just running a carbed black motor, I think you will be just fine with your 140, just remember, cooler isnt always better.

thax smurf...i did change my sea pump, it was a little dry rotted..i didnt put the sender in yet,to much rain but i hope to tommorow.thax

mine runs at 165 all the time, hard or crusing, but i have never help it at 4700rpms more than a a in or two either.

im thinking my new thermostat is no good, about to pull it and check it out, it may be getting stuck open.

yup there was a little piece of rust stuck in the thermo spring ,not allowing it to fully close, son of a *****... lol everything is fine now...