Temp woes...
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 606
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From: Prattville AL
Temp woes...
Alright guys... I need some help... I put in the 180 balanced flow thermostat hoping for good results... so here is what I see...
Driving... temp drives down to 120ish
Stop in traffic... temp rises to 200ish
Take back off... temp drives back down to 120ish
New radiator, new stat
Shouldn't the stat be working to maintain 180ish all the time? Any suggestions?
Scott
Driving... temp drives down to 120ish
Stop in traffic... temp rises to 200ish
Take back off... temp drives back down to 120ish
New radiator, new stat
Shouldn't the stat be working to maintain 180ish all the time? Any suggestions?
Scott
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,977
Likes: 195
From: Putnam Valley, New York. Amateur Radio Operator K2NS
Originally Posted by Oriondriver
Alright guys... I need some help... I put in the 180 balanced flow thermostat hoping for good results... so here is what I see...
Driving... temp drives down to 120ish
Stop in traffic... temp rises to 200ish
Take back off... temp drives back down to 120ish
New radiator, new stat
Shouldn't the stat be working to maintain 180ish all the time? Any suggestions?
Scott
Driving... temp drives down to 120ish
Stop in traffic... temp rises to 200ish
Take back off... temp drives back down to 120ish
New radiator, new stat
Shouldn't the stat be working to maintain 180ish all the time? Any suggestions?
Scott
Hi Scott
Either your dash gauge or sending unit might be faulty, or that new thermostat is a dud. A 180 stat should keep the engine at 180 degrees, unless your radiator does not have the capacity to keep it cool--then it could go higher. Once warmed up to 180, it should not go down unless the thermostat jams open. I see according to your profile that you do not have a stock engine. What type of radiator are you running, and does it have the capacity to cool down a high HP engine ??? If it's a copper/brass replacement, it might not have enough cooling capacity.
RON
Last edited by rongold; Sep 2, 2006 at 01:11 PM.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 606
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From: Prattville AL
I just put that new Robert Shaw balanced flow stat in it... thought possibly the Stant 180 was sticking open but I am getting the same indications with or without a stat installed... as for the radiator I recently put in a new Griffin aluminum radiator... I unhooked the stock gauge and wired up a new gauge to test it and got the same indications.... I changed out the sender about 7 months ago and might just consider doing it again to help verify... thanks for the suggestions... any others?
Scott
Scott
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 140
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From: Bergen, Norway
Temperature woes
If the temperature is going down when driving and back up again at stand still that tells me the radiator fan/shroud is not working the way it should. Do you have a stock fan/shroud or something aftermarket?
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 22,192
Likes: 4,180
From: Kannapolis NC
Thermostat not closing
The only thing that will let your temp go below 180 after it's warmed up is the coolant is flowing through the radiator and being cooled by the air going through it. If the thermostat is closing, the coolant stays in the engine and will not be cooled by the radiator, fan, moving air or anything else. That's the purpose of the thermostat. The sending unit is in the engine, and if the thermostat is working it will never go below 180 whether moving or sitting still. All this of course is assuming that the temp is actually going up and down and not just the gauge or sending unit varying.
PS You confirmed this when you said above " got the same indication with or without a thermostat installed". The coolant is somehow either going through or around your thermostat.
PS You confirmed this when you said above " got the same indication with or without a thermostat installed". The coolant is somehow either going through or around your thermostat.
Last edited by 65GGvert; Sep 3, 2006 at 08:40 AM.
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Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Greenville, Indiana
Erratic guage temperatures are sometimes the result of low coolant level. If this is not the case, I'd suspect your fan is not pulling sufficient air. I have no knowledge of these whoopty-do thermostats. If the cooling system is full and you still can't get the temp up, change to another thermostat.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 22,192
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From: Kannapolis NC
I agree that low coolant levels can cause fluctuations, but fan not pulling sufficient air will not cause low temps. Only overtemp. Please post when you find the problem, I'm sure you'll find the problem to be within inches of the thermostat (housing, seal, or stat) letting coolant bypass thermostat
Thread Starter
Pro
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From: Prattville AL
THANKS for all the input...
1. Will get an IR gun and verify
2. 99% sure there is not fluid bypassing
3. Fairly new sender but might replace again anyway
4. 99% sure both thermostats could be failing open
5. Will try out another gauge just to verify
In the meantime... if you think of any other options pls let me know but I will surely post my test results...
Thanks
Scott
1. Will get an IR gun and verify
2. 99% sure there is not fluid bypassing
3. Fairly new sender but might replace again anyway
4. 99% sure both thermostats could be failing open
5. Will try out another gauge just to verify
In the meantime... if you think of any other options pls let me know but I will surely post my test results...
Thanks
Scott
