Temp Gauge ... need a favor.

[JHART]

I need a little help here. My temp gauge works and all but i just find it a bit hard to beleive that my engine runs this cool. So if someone could take a pic of thier temp gauge when thier motor is at operating temperature and post it in here i would be very thankfull. Hope its not too much trouble.

Thank you in advance!

-Hart

[rophle1]

Sorry, I don't have a pic, I'm using aftermarket gauges right now, but do you have a thermostat in it? I had to temporarily take mine out (it got stuck and haven't bought a new one yet) and with my aluminum radiator I never got over 150 degrees.

[byrd]

Most that I have tested run about 1/3 of the way up from cold at operating temps.

[JHART]

Well i know it has a thermostat in it. I just want to compare my gauge to some one else's with stock gauges.

I mean i guess i shouldnt really worry but i would just like to know. Running cool is a great thing i know but if my gauge is bad i need to know incase my engine is running hot. The gauge only moves a little bit and just looks off to me.

Hope some one can help me out.

[tavenner13]

it was about 70 degrees outside today and my BBC ran its hottest around 180* idling in traffic. i have a brand new sunpro underdash setup and ill post a functioning pic today for ya while im running around town.

[JHART]

Thank you but i was hoping for a stock gauge in dash. My gauges are all stock besides my tach.

Oh and i guess i should tell you all my truck runs a 350 not a big block .... temps will be a bit different.

I just need a pic of someones stock temp gauge with a small block at operating temp .... man i feel like i am creating work for people. Sorry guys.

[OLDIRON69]

First off, I had the same issue, that is why I went with a new mechanical gauge pod. 190* unless I'm in traffic, then it starts to jump up. Running a flex fan, no shroud,4 core radiator.

[tavenner13]

Originally Posted by JHART

Thank you but i was hoping for a stock gauge in dash. My gauges are all stock besides my tach.

Oh and i guess i should tell you all my truck runs a 350 not a big block .... temps will be a bit different.

I just need a pic of someones stock temp gauge with a small block at operating temp .... man i feel like i am creating work for people. Sorry guys.

we're all here to help sorry i didnt know there would be a diff. in temps. there's a cruise-in tonight at 5 that im going to here in town and there will be plenty of SBC's there so ill ask around a little for you... dont give up just yet!

[JHART]

I guess i should just replace the gauge ....

I just want to know for sure ya know .... i plan on replacing the entire gauge cluster but i dont plan on doing it anytime soon.

[JHART]

That would be awesome! Thank you ..... take pics of the trucks anyway! Make sure you post them up so we can all see!

Man i wish there was a local club here ..... probably is i just need to look ..lol

[farmerfred]

I'll try to take a pic, but my truck runs with the needle at the lowest part of the normal range. My stock gauge looks like this \ \_____/ /
The needle is always on the second \ at operating temp

I just replaced the thermostat and the temp sender; nothing changed.

[woodrow59]

My stock one points straight up the middle at operating temp.

[Longhorn Man]

the stock guage is a graduated scale. If you have a 160 T-stat, it'll read way low. If you have a 190, it'll read in the middle to upper middle.
I for one don't trust 35 year old guages to tell me squat. If you were to hook up some cheap aftermarket guages, then you could baseline the stock ones. You'd know that the middle of your oil guage is actually 45 psi... or what ever that old guage wants to point at... same with the temp guage. And an amp guage, well that's almost worthless IMO. That's why you never see them in stock dash boards since the mid 70's.

[EAST SIDE LOW LIFE]

I agree with "Longhorn" and thats why I went with an under dash temp, oil and volt gauges. Even if things seemed to work you really had no info. being given to you on the stock set up. I prefer volt meters over amp meters but thats a personal choice.

esll.

[JHART]

I can always replace the in dash gauges with after market ones right? I just prefer to keep the in dash cluster in use to keep the interior clean and original as possible as far as the gauges go.

[ghackett1]

My 402 BB with factory gauges on my 71 goes up about a third of the way when driving and not any higher than half if I'm stuck and sitting in a traffic jam for a while. Hope that helps.

[EAST SIDE LOW LIFE]

Yes you can keep the factory gauge cluster and install after market gauges in place of the factory ones. I thought about doing this and when I'm totally finished my truck as a winter project. Right now I've got a bed floor to install so that has to come first as the bed wood is sitting in the corner of the shop.

esll.

[ThatOneBlue67]

I'm running the stock gauges and they all give me a reading, very vivid. I have TEMP OIL AMP SunPro gauges udner my heater controls and THOSE are what I really look at. I guess you could say that I hooked up the stock ones to "be original".

[BobbyK]

Here's where mine normally sits.I run a 185* T-stat.

[GREASEMONKEY72]

Originally Posted by BobbyK

Here's where mine normally sits.I run a 185* T-stat.

thats about where mine sits at but usually right on the line with a 180t-stat but it hasnt really gotten all that hot around here yet to make it go higher, that and i havnt idled in traffic much lately, thankfully

sounds like you might have a 160*t-stat

[GREASEMONKEY72]

BobbyK - my od is about the same as yours is, only about 300 or so miles more, even though its not the actual milage on it since it was broke when i got it

[JHART]

This is where mine is at compared to yours. I am assuming that i have a different thermostat or worse a faulty gauge.

The thing is i have never seen my gauge go any higher then this and trust i have tried to get her to heat up (I.E. ... wasting gas down the highway if you follow me) so i am not to sure what i should do.

BTW thank you for the pic .... was very helpfull.

[BobbyK]

You could try placeing a piece of cardboard infront of you rad. to block the air flow.Then let your truck idle and see how high the gauge goes.

[BobbyK]

That's the actual milage on my rebuild.

I took my Odometer apart and Zero'd it out when I put the rebuilt eng in.

[JHART]

So if i change the T*stat should i go with a 180 or what?