engine water temp?

[dansalisbury72]

My temp gauge has gone haywire and I need to check it through the radiator cap to be sure. Does anybody know what it should be reading after a 5-10 minute idle? It doesn't seem to be overheating (as the gauge sometimes indicates) but I want to check to be sure, just don't know what the temp should be.

thanks...

Dan in NC

[dansalisbury72]

130 degrees?

according to a Pampered Chef cooking thermometer that I found in the kitchen, the coolant temp taken at the radiator is around 130 degrees after about a 10 minute idle. Is this normal temp? The temp gauge on the dash still read dead cold, so I wasn't able to mesh it with the 'all the way hot' reading that I get occasionally (there is no in between - it is either dead cold or top of the charts hot).

thanks...

Dan in NC

[Linus Tremaine]

that seems low

i would expect your thermostat to open around 160. IIRC that was what temp was in my last 2.25. If your radiator is reading 130 and your truck has been idling for 10 minutes, its either not fully warmed up or you may not have a thermostat installed.

An overheating truck would read 220+

A hot truck will probably read 190-200

A warm just off the highway after a good long, but not steep, drive truck probably should read 170-180

130 is too low for an engine to run efficiently.

[SafeAirOne]

I too have doubts about the accuracy of my temp gauge. The way I plan to tackle the issue is to remove my temp sensor, keep the wire on it, and ground the sensor body to the engine block using a wire. Next I'll heat up some water to about 220 degrees, and dip the sensor in and check the reading on the gauge. I'll do the same except heating water up to a "normal" range of 180-190.

If you're just checking the sensor/gauge, perhaps this method will help you.

[Terrys]

Temperature guages which have previously read correctly, and then, for no apparant reason seem to read out of whack, are generally the result of the voltage stabilzer going south.

[dansalisbury72]

checked again

I checked again today after I got home from work. The temp gauge went to all the way hot about 3/4 the way home, so as soon as I got home I took off the radiator cap and tried to Pampered Chef thermometer again and it only read around 140-150. I only have about a 15-20 minute drive to work, between 25-40 mph the whole way, not sure if that has anything to do with it.

[dansalisbury72]

Linus -

You were spot on man - I ordered a replacement thermostat for the truck from RN, opened up the housing today to remove the old thermostat, and there was nothing there but an old gasket - no thermostat whatsoever. Put the new one in so we will see if that solves my problems.

Appreciate the advice...

Dan in NC

[SafeAirOne]

I...opened up the housing today to remove the old thermostat, and there was nothing there but an old gasket - no thermostat whatsoever.

Sounds like you have one of those "invisible" thermostats--Very rare! They only came in rovers manufactured on Wednesday in the 2nd week of August 1966--right around tea time, if memory serves. They are 60 celcius thermostats, and can be replaced by sending the US dollar equivalent of roughly 400 British Pounds to Rare Spares in Devonshire, UK. Don't be fooled by the seemingly empty box they will send you in return, just carefully install the replacement unit, being sure to orient it in the correct direction.