Cooling issues etc.

[Makdaddymac]

well after installing new radiator my overheating probelms went away,but now the darn things runs too cool??

the gauge works,(stock) and when i was flushing the system the gauge would read to the _R_ on the N_O_R_M_A_L part then drop a little....

now even after traffic and anything it stays at the _A_...??? the t-stat is opening and everything is functioning? it has the 190 t stat and it never gets that hot then comes down, it just starts at zero/_L_ and then it goes to the A(never higher)....it was not doing that when flushing, it would go up to the _R_ an them come down to a little above the _A_.....(the rear end was jacked up when doing the flush) any ideas, gauge funking out, but it would at least go up higher instead its like it just is getting stuck at the A.... could it be my t-stat acting up?

 

[Shaolin Crane]

try getting a laser temp gun and actually test the temps on the radiator, thermostat housing etc, the gauge may say all is fine but that thing wont lie when you start to test it

 

[Makdaddymac]

sound like a good idea, but basically i went from overheating to running cooler than normal, just wanted to know if this was signs of a bad t-stat...

 

[skunk21]

The stock gauge really is a poor indictor of what is going on. mine would jump all over the place until I finally got an after market gauge and life is good now. normal operating temp is around *210. Most of the newer T-stats fail open so you don't overheat but it's also like not having one either. you can leave the cap off and watch the flow of the rad when it warms up, you can see when the stat opens and the top hose should feel hot and firm when coolant is flowing through it. you really need a better gauge to know for sure.

 

[JKidd]

sound like a good idea, but basically i went from overheating to running cooler than normal, just wanted to know if this was signs of a bad t-stat...

It does sound like your thermostat is sticking open. The radiator just keeps the coolant in the temp range that the thermostat dictates. With a properly functioning thermostat, if the radiator can't keep up, the car gets too warm. If the the radiator can keep up (and then some), the temps should remain pretty constant to where the thermostat controls them.

 

[Makdaddymac]

so t-stat is the culprit, what about a sending unit, those are easier to change out should i try that first...the gauge worked perfect when the car was jacked up in the rear....???

 

[HISSIN50]

At least for diagnostics, you really should listen to the advice about using another temperature mechanism (even if just interpolating the ECT voltage).

The stock temp gauge has a good bit of hysteresis built into it.