Engine temperature

[Doug&Deb]

With a 180 thermostat my Coronet ran between 190-200 . In July I installed a 160 thermostat as an experiment. It cooled the engine too much. Today I installed a new 180 thermostat and realized that the 160 had failed which explains why it ran about 140. With the 180 I’m back to 195-210. Ambient temperature was about 55-60 today so I’m wondering if that’s just the normal temperature for my engine. 

[Sniper]

That is close to what mine ran with the stock mechanical fan, 195-210.  With the electric fan it runs lower.

[Doug&Deb]

My temperature gauge is broken so I have a Stewart Warner gauge under the dash. Seeing the actual temperature as opposed to a needle halfway up the gauge can be disconcerting. I’m probably overthinking things as usual lol.

[desoto1939]

I drove to Altoona for the NDC convetion and car show backin the Middle of June.  My temp was running around the 165-180 range and have a 180 degree thermostat installed. I run  antifreeze inthe engine.  Have you ever had the radiater back flushed and or even the block?  Open the petcock onthe sie of the block to see if you get any water to come out the petcock. If not the sick a metal coat hanger inthe hole to loosen up some crud. You might have scale or blockage.  Just a thought.

 

Rich Hartung

[Doug&Deb]

Rich the engine was rebuilt about 13,000 miles ago. I have good flow from the block drain. It’s actually the only way to drain the radiator cleanly. Water pump and hoses are good. New aluminum radiator. I was getting lower readings with my infrared thermometer so I suspect the aftermarket temperature gauge may be off. I’m going to try sticking a meat thermometer in the radiator and see what it shows. I’m not overheating just running hot.

[Marcel Backs]

also try adding one of the many surfactants out there that helps your coolant transfer heat. I use Purple Ice in my 39 chevvy and lowered the temperature by a good 10 deg. Fahrenheit.  has many other benefits for your cooling system components  as well. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by Marcel Backs

[Doug&Deb]

Thanks, i may try that.

[rallyace]

Whenever I get a temperature gauge I test it for accuracy. Put the sensor in a pot of boiling water and see how close it is to 212F. If it is off a couple of degrees, it is OK. If it is off by more than 10 degrees then you know where the problem is.

[soth122003]

My block had a crack in it that would leak when it cooled down and expanded the gap. I'd loose about a gallon of water a week. Just recently fixed that with some JB Weld. Thought it was a bad freeze plug and when I changed it (and cleaned out the block) it still leaked and that's when I found the crack. Since it is a zero pressure system, used JB to fix it and it works great. The reason I mentioned all that was I only ran water to cool the engine and it stayed about 160 degrees all the time. Now that it doesn't leak any more I run 1 gallon of anti freeze to 2 gallons of water and the temp sets and about 175. I may go back to just water with a rust inhibitor to get back the 15 degrees I'm loosing with the AF. I am running a 160 degree thermostat in the engine, with the original radiator.

 

Joe Lee

 

 

[johnp]

you know my dad had mentioned he had a 1950 cryhsler Windsor . Back then he said in the summer he would run straight water little bit of rust inhibitor  and no thermostat and then but it back for winter.

[Doug&Deb]

I’m thinking my problem is the aftermarket gauge. I put a meat thermometer in the radiator the coolant is 180. The gauge read 195-200. Time to wrestle the factory gauge out and see about fixing it.

[vintage6t]

45 minutes ago, Doug&Deb said:

I’m thinking my problem is the aftermarket gauge. I put a meat thermometer in the radiator the coolant is 180. The gauge read 195-200. Time to wrestle the factory gauge out and see about fixing it.

A better test of gauge accuracy would be to remove the sensor bulb from the engine and put it in boiling water. Gauge should read around 212 F.

 

Btw - there can be a coolant temp difference between where the sensor is located in the engine and the radiator where you put your thermometer. 15 to 20 degrees? Maybe.

[Sniper]

27 minutes ago, vintage6t said:

Btw - there can be a coolant temp difference between where the sensor is located in the engine and the radiator where you put your thermometer. 15 to 20 degrees? Maybe.

 

I was measuring my cooling system, IR gun, yesterday and this thought passed through my head.  The temp gauge sensor is located by #6 cylinder, so you pretty much see that cylinder's output only.  The radiator neck is all 6 cylinder's worth of heat so I imagine the gauge would read lower not higher, but it's just a guess.

[Adam H P15 D30]

2 hours ago, Doug&Deb said:

I’m thinking my problem is the aftermarket gauge. I put a meat thermometer in the radiator the coolant is 180. The gauge read 195-200. Time to wrestle the factory gauge out and see about fixing it.

The back of the engine is where it will run the hottest.  Gauge may not be off too much.

[Doug&Deb]

I’m rebuilding my spare engine so I’ll wait until it’s ready to try the dash gauge. I know how easy it is to break the probe so once is enough. Until then as long as it’s not boiling then I’m driving it. The temperature stays pretty consistently in the same range so it’s okay.

[Sam Buchanan]

2 hours ago, Sniper said:

 

I was measuring my cooling system, IR gun, yesterday and this thought passed through my head.  The temp gauge sensor is located by #6 cylinder, so you pretty much see that cylinder's output only.  The radiator neck is all 6 cylinder's worth of heat so I imagine the gauge would read lower not higher, but it's just a guess.

 

This is also just a guess (the infrared thermometer could settle this) but I suspect the radiator neck would be cooler because the engine block has adsorbed a lot of heat and shed it to the atmosphere. But I might be wrong.