[moneymanager]

Just start the car, put you hand on the oil lines, and check again when the motor temp approaches 180 degrees. You should feel very warm/hot lines, though this won't tell you if the lines have opened totally. I don't know whether it is common for the thermostat to fail or not, I doubt it since it is really a very simple device depending on wax melting to do its job. But anything's possible. It's hard to know about cooling. I have a built-up 2.7 but use larger than stock oil lines and a big under fender radiator at the front. Without the cooler, a hot day at the track (95+) could easily get the motor above 250 degrees. Now I hardly ever see 220. A fan is pretty much useless after the car gets up to 50-60mph...it really only helps in traffic when there is no air flow. So I'm betting you need a bit more cooling capacity than you have. Jim