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Lately, my temp gauge has climbed past the bold white mark and points straight up. It stays there, pretty much, moving slightly depending on if I am moving or sitting in traffic. Barely moves at all.
Last year I had no temp gauge at all, so swapped in an aftermarket. After that didn't fix it I put in a new PCB, and that woke things up. Fall driving always had the needle at the bold white mark (200?), maybe a hair higher. This year, It warms up and points straight up at the sky.
I thought it might be the thermostat not opening all the way, so I just got done replacing it. Same thing.
Bad sending unit? Nothing to worry about? If I am sitting it traffic, the needle climbs a bit, and when I get moving it returns to straight up. Not sure what else to check, if anything. And yes, it is full of coolant.
Are you running a stock thermostat? Mine sits completely vertical when fully warmed up. I always thought that was 200, but the gauge makes it tough to tell for sure. Some use an IR gun on the thermostat housing, but those aren’t always accurate. The type of sending unit can also make a difference from what I understand. My engine was running slightly warm due to someone installing the incorrect intake gasket set which allowed coolant to not flow properly. May be a long shot, but still worth mentioning.
"Temp gauge has climbed past the bold white mark and points straight up" really doesn't mean anything. What actual temperature is the engine operating at? Normal operating temperature is 190 - 230 degrees. If you're in that range, there is no problem. Determine what temperature you are actually operating at before deciding that you are "running hot." The "white line" is irrelevant.
Thanks. I was wondering if it really made a difference as long as it was not climbing into the red zone. It's just "different" than it was last year. I replaced the old thermostat, that looked like one of those Mr. Gasket types, with a stock 195 degree version. It didn't make any difference.
I'll get one of those infra-red things at see what the temp really is.
This is what is looks like, and it stays pretty steady:
Maybe I didn't burp this thing correctly. Driving it on the way home today, the temp gauge dipped back down to where I am used to seeing it, stayed there for about 10 seconds, then kind of wobbled its way back to straight up.
Going to wait for it to cool off and try to get rid of any air pockets it might have in it.
Maybe I didn't burp this thing correctly. Driving it on the way home today, the temp gauge dipped back down to where I am used to seeing it, stayed there for about 10 seconds, then kind of wobbled its way back to straight up.
Going to wait for it to cool off and try to get rid of any air pockets it might have in it.
Had your exact problem a while ago, but would go a bit higher than yours is. Found what you have just said to be my problem. After I burped it properly it ran as normal.
I hadn't thought about running the heater, too. Thanks for that. It might help things.
Of course, today we are scheduled for thunderstorms, so the vette is in the garage.
when cars are over heating....you really notice it when you open the hood.....a bad gauge/sending unit may screw with you , but the true test is opening the hood and feeling the hoses......you probably you have enough time under your hood to have a sense for the normal temps, an infra red thermometer pointing will tell the temps if you have a friend that has one
I don't get concerned with my 82 until it goes past 200* and I live in AZ. Anyway, if you do a drain and refill, get one of these...best damn thing you can buy to burp the cooling system and get the air out. Also, it helps to jack the nose as high as you can get it while burping. You may find these cheaper elsewhere also. Burping funnel
06-24-2018, 08:01 PM
81 Runs hot, or so it seems
