operating temp range for 70's 350???

[hoodup]

So my trucks temp gauge indicates that my water temp is around 225 to 240 deg witch i know is too hot...so i thought maybe my thermostat was stuck closed so i replaced with your standard 195 and im a little less but about the same as before!! could my gauge be not accurate and if so, if i shoot a laser temp gauge on the block what should it read to indicate the correct temp? HELP!!.....

PS I hope i put this thread in the right spot guys,,sorry if not

[cdowns]

i take athermometer at put it in the coolant of the radiator to get an accurate reading of what the temp is

[red69ss]

I run 165 or 160 degree thermostat in mine can't remember which, but they usually don't get over 190 degrees on hot days , how is your cooling system set up? at 225 I would be parking it till I fixed the problem deff. to hot IMO and do what cdowns suggest and verify temp when its hot to make sure gauge is working properly.

[hoodup]

thanks folks...im gonna park it and figure out the true temp and go from there.

[hoodup]

so.....now the gauge is reading about 210-215 deg in stop and go traffic...sound about right???

[Alex Hayley]

Did you change anything (thermostat, gauge, etc) to get the different readings?

Regardless, if the temperatures are accurate (210 degrees), that is too hot for the weather (73 degrees) you have in Bozeman, MT (http://www.weather.com/weather/today...an+MT+USMT0040).

I think you have a few things you need to do in this order:
1) verify that your gauge is correct. It is simply not possible to troubleshoot an engine temperature issue if you do not have an accurate method of reading the temperature.
2) if the gauge is correct, ensure that your cooling system is up to the task of cooling (clean fluid, good thermostat, water pump, hoses, fan, clutch and cap, etc)
3) if all parts are good, I would change the thermostat to a 180 and see if that helps.

[hoodup]

did not do anything yet because im not sure what i should do...im thinking a flush might help or??

[hoodup]

having never done a flush before is there a best way to do it?

[Alex Hayley]

I think the very first thing you should do is verify that your gauge is ok.

[hoodup]

i will check the gauge but im finding out that the radiator might not be the right one?

[hoodup]

had a complete flush of my cooling system today and im still around 200 to 210 indicated...my next step is the gauge. thanks again for you input.

[LA72c10]

what kind of cam and timing? i did a cam swap and timed it to 13 deg. my operating temp went from 180 or 190 running wide open to 190 or 200 wide open... mine is also bored 40 so it will run a little hotter but i'm not sure what is too hot either

[hoodup]

Ive done a flush, and a fan clutch, and thermostat and im running about 200ish deg just sitting in the driveway. does it matter on the manifolds where i have the probe for the gauge? and also, how do you test the gauge? oh and Ive taken the water temp in the radiator and it says its 150 or so deg....

I hate to keep beating this up but i just want to make sure i dont have a blown head gasket....i don't really have the common tell tail signs of that but ya never know.

[cdowns]

if the temp of coolant is 150 and gauge says 200?? caant you figure that out??

[hoodup]

from the sarcasm i believe your referring to the gauge.....

[FlounderGDI]

Originally Posted by hoodup

I hate to keep beating this up but i just want to make sure i dont have a blown head gasket....i don't really have the common tell tail signs of that but ya never know.

If you have a blown head gasket you'd know... The temp starts bouncing around and climbing higher and higher... One easy way to tell is to pull your dip stick and look for a yellowy brown or reddish brown frothy color... When I blew a head gasket the oil and water emulsified in the engine and you could see it just by pulling the dipstick...

[leddzepp]

If you have a blown head gasket, you ain't going nowhere.