Ok gang, my thermostat just went to crap again ( pretty sure) I just replaced one in this blazer 6 months ago ( replaced the thermostat in my wife’s Jimmy about a month and a half ago).
With winter approaching,, what type of thermostat should I use 160 degrees or the ones that go up to 195 or more?
I’m not sure which I should use,,, they are not to difficult to put in,,, but I really wanted to do other things tomorrow.
Would sincerely appreciate your help gang

We pull the thermostat out completely the only down side is fuel consumption might be a tad higher.

I would use the 195 , definitely not the 160.

Look online for the manufacturers recommendation.

^^^This^^^

Parts house will be able to tell you what it takes. Lots of people use a cooler thermostat thinking it will run cooler in the summer when they're running the air or think it will be easier on the engine or hoses or what ever. That motor needs to come up to temp to help keep all the crap and sludge from forming. Burn the moisture out.

195 an don't buy the cheapest one they have. Do some research and buy one with good reviews or a reputable brand.

How are they failing?
When is the last time you had the system flushed?

GM recommends 195 degree .

Why do you think it's the thermostat ? What are the symptoms?

Vehicle engines are designed to run at a specific temperature regardless of weather to keep the fuel hot and vaporizing...run the proper thermostat. Back in the 70's when I was a radiator man we ran 180 degree on everything. Take care...

if its made in China ask for something different.
I used to keep a stash of OEM t-stats around picked from junked cars, they usually would last at least a decade instead of a couple of months.

My temp gauge gets hotter than hades,,, it did it on my blazer 6 months ago, I replaced it,,, temp gauge was normal.. until today.
Same thing happened with wife’s jimmy…. I actually was thinking we might have blown a head gasket Or even worse warped a head because it was running hot and I didn’t noticed it until I started hearing a noise and looked down and saw the temperature gauge.
I replaced the thermostat and we’ve had no issues since,,, and we’ve driven several 120 mile round trips in the jimmy since replacing.
I’m just baffled as to why these things are failing…

If a water cooled engine is over heating with the proper thermostat then there are other problems...look elsewhere.

OTG

Start the engine cold...remove the radiator cap...give it time...look for bubbles. Bubbles equal head gasket problems. Just a shade tree mechanics idea...take care.

OTG

X3

Also , pro tip.

Make sure you note which way the thermostat is facing when you take the old one out.
Very , very , easy to put in backwards. (180° facing the wrong way )

I've seen seasoned pros do this on occasion. Very common mistake.

Also check for good flow. Older cars/radiators may have good coolant flow issues due to partial clogging. A good radiator shop can ' boil out ' a radiator to restore flow. If not replace radiator if insufficient.

Those 4.3s in the Jimmy's and blazers had problems with the plastic intake manifolds and gaskets leaking, did you notice if you had low coolant. Water pump, radiator cap ? A bad radiator cap can cause coolant to boil if the system can't pressurize