Thermostat - OEM or aftermarket?

Since my F355 is not doing stable 90 degrees all the time, I decided to change the thermostat. But my question is - should I go and buy an OEM part or the aftermarket options are also good?

And does anyone know what company is the manufacturer of the OEM thermostat?

 

Do not know who the OEM is for the cap.

A month after I bought my Mondial the water temperature started to run low. I replaced the thermostat and it has worked fine every since. Birdman (an F Chatter) recommended a Wahler thermostat available from Autopartsway Corp. Cost was $22.96. They probably have one for your car, give them a call and ask them. Just make sure that a gasket comes with the thermostat.

ceb39

 

I'm in Bulgaria. If I will look for aftermarket replacements, I will probably do that on Ebay.

 

I need a thermostat change too, to low Temperatur.

In Germany i can not find an aftermarket part,not even in Ebay, so ill go for an OEM.

 

What is the operating temperature of the F355 thermostat? Is it 90-degrees Celsius?

 

Found the info in the wsm that the thermostat is 80-85 deg Celsius...would installing a 92 deg thermostat do any damage? My car always seems to run too cold....

 

I would not install an OEM thermostat. I have seen too many of them be out of spec, straight out of the box. OEM temp spec is 82C (179.6F). However if I can find an after market or BEHR thermostat in 84C (183.2) or 86C (186.8F), i would install it asap.

 

+1

 

I can vouch for Oz's recommendation. I installed a thermostat from the 328, which fits the bill perfectly. Drop in replacement, and the right heat range. And made by Behr. It works perfectly and keeps the water temp in the correct range.

Cheers

 

What are the part numbers for these thermostats?

Also my engine runs cool especially in the fall and in the Northeast, I Feel that it never really gets up to temp. Would a 86C or higher (say 92C - I had found one that's compatible) help this? Would it create issues in the summer?

Thank you.

 

The OEM part number for the 355 is 165473. My steady state coolant temp with the original thermostat was around 170 dF, which is below spec. Curiously that's consistent with most others in gothspeed's recent survey.

I then decided to try the 82 dC Behr thermostat for the 308 from G.T. Car Parts, as suggested by gothspeed and others. I monitored the coolant temp at the CPU during a highway drive on a warm Summer evening and found it to range between 186 and 188 dF. The dash gauge, which uses a different sensor from the CPU, has consistently indicated just below 190 dF during steady state driving ever since. Perfect.

The part number from G.T. Car Parts is 109671S (likely indicating substitute for 109671, which is the OEM part number for the 308). It came with a seal ring, part number 105192. Both for a fraction of the OEM prices.

 

I wonder if there's an even higher temp thermostat. With the F355 cooling being so efficient my temperature is always below or at the first line when driving, maybe just past it when idling or stuck in traffic...

What would a 90- or 92-deg C thermostat do, would it not bring the car up to running warmer and hence more efficient?

 

Well, after spending $200 for an OEM thermostat I guess I will try this one too... I am not aware of the website mentioned, so if anyone can post a link of the exact product needed, I will be very grateful.

 

Thanks for posting the part numbers! ......... I have yet to see a BEHR thermostat that is out of spec when new ......

Yes the 355 BEHR replacement thermostat that I currently recommend is available from GT car parts and is rated at 82°C ........ however I would not go any higher than 86°C on a 355 ..... IMO 84°C would be 'just right' ..... assuming those higher ratings can be found .....

The German BEHR 82°C thermostat is about 1/3 the cost of OEM and three times as good IMO ...... here is the info for GT Car Parts:

G.T. CAR PARTS INC | An independent supplier of new and used Ferrari and Lamborghini parts

Contact us by phone, email, or fax for parts inquiries

Phone: (623) 780-2200

Fax: (623) 780-1200

Email: [email protected]


Address:
516 W. Lone Cactus Drive
Phoenix, Arizona, 85027-2912