Where is your temperature needle?

[slant6billy]

OK, Got my factory temperature gauge working. It is a 2nd opinion for the aftermarket gauge.

So the needle sweeps from the left starting a "C" to the 1/4 of the way and hovers just past 1/4 of the way. Now I think my last slant was there.

So where are all the needles on your Volares and Aspens? Slants and 8 s just note what you have and where it falls when you car is at operating temp.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Mine sits in between the second line and half faithfully.

 

[Aspen500]

Same here, normally between 2nd line and center.

 

[slant6billy]

Sorry no video, but this is where the needle hits when I run at 65 mph. I drove the Volare' into work today and on the ride home I pushed it to 70mph. The temperature starts to climb with respect to the RPM. 60 to 65 is 3000 RPM. 70 is just above 3500. I'm wondering if I should re-install heater valve. Right now the heater hoses are straight through the heater core. Could installing the valve reduce temps or not?. I don't think heat is too bad an issue, I'd just like to keep the engine cooler. I might add a remote engine oil filter with an oil cooler as well an auxiliary trans cooler, but I don't know how much the gain of lower temp would be. It's further down the list. The next task is moving the battery to the trunk and micro starter. Nothing to do with temperature

 

[Jack Meoff]

Your mark looks right where mine sits.
As far as the heater valve i know my Caravelle which needs a new thermostat runs hot sometimes and if i put the heat on the temp comes down.

 

[Blackbirdsrt78]

same here

 

[Bruceynz]

I think my Doba runs just over 1/4 on the gauge, turn car off and then start up again after 5mins and the needle goes full and drops down again, my New Yorker did that as well must be to do where the sensor is or all the heat rising to the top and when you start water moves past it again to cool it to read correct temp, I dunno.

 

[ramenth]

If it's not at the "H" then it's not running hot.

 

[compubert]

Mine quit 6 mo ago but was in the middle most of the time. "I" Rodded out the radiator about 6 yrs ago and have run nothing but straight antifreeze since, I have a small leak at the middle of the upper tank but never gets low. 185 therm and can still grab the radiator after a drive..

 

[slant6billy]

It stays just past the 1/4 mark (moving to the right), but if I start getting on it like I did last Sunday, it moved towards the middle and the after market gauge was at 225° to 230°. I got to the house and opened the hood, then shut it down. One of my coworkers keeps asking if my motor has a bore in it? I really don't know much other than the 71 340 intake on an 85 AHB block with a summit racing cam. I had a few drag bikes that were punched out and ran hot if ran on the street. I really don't know, but my old 80 Z28 and 88 GTA ran hot with a 30 over bore. Hence, I grenaded the 88 20 years ago when I was driving it like a commuter car.

 

[8v-of-fury]

@compubert, you'd likely find it would cool better if you didn't run straight anti-freeze. Glycol itself is not the best at heat transfer, straight water would actually work best. However, with straight water you run the issue of no lubricants and random minerals in your cooling system that can can and will over time eat stuff up. Straight distilled water and 1 or 2 bottles of Water Wetter or the like is actually the BEST coolant you can run.


On my 318 4v in the 5th the gauge (when at temp) is always at the first tick. Even if your beating its ass.

 

[Cordoba1]

Mine quit 6 mo ago but was in the middle most of the time. "I" Rodded out the radiator about 6 yrs ago and have run nothing but straight antifreeze since, I have a small leak at the middle of the upper tank but never gets low. 185 therm and can still grab the radiator after a drive..

@compubert, you'd likely find it would cool better if you didn't run straight anti-freeze. Glycol itself is not the best at heat transfer, straight water would actually work best. However, with straight water you run the issue of no lubricants and random minerals in your cooling system that can can and will over time eat stuff up. Straight distilled water and 1 or 2 bottles of Water Wetter or the like is actually the BEST coolant you can run.

Yes -- This is important: Straight antifreeze doesn't have the proper heat-transfer-properties without being mixed 50/50. Further, anifreeze without water WILL FREEZE! Put some water in there!

 

[Jack Meoff]

Mine sits here faithfully.

It used to run cooler when I had a 160° thermostat in it but i discovered that these engines love it around 190°.
Runs much better now.

 

[Aspen500]

All engines run the most efficient between 195 and 220 degrees.
You might want to try, after getting a proper 50/50 mix of coolant, is some water wetter. I run Redline brand (I think). Breaks the surface tension of the water so it absorbs the heat AND gives off it's heat to the radiator a lot more efficiently.

EDIT: I see the water wetter was mentioned already, oops! Anyways, I second the motion.

 

[compubert]

Yes -- This is important: Straight antifreeze doesn't have the proper heat-transfer-properties without being mixed 50/50. Further, anifreeze without water WILL FREEZE! Put some water in there!

No worries guys, been that way for close to 6 yrs, still pretty and green no silicate falling out of suspension. I don't run the gauntlet anymore (DeLand to Atlanta 6 3/4 hrs) so I never get hot, and freezing... what is that? ;-) I save my distilled water for my CPAP machine. Looking down in the radiator, everything is pristine, I know it isn't optimal or ideal but I also know I hate trying to get rid of old antifreeze, and I refuse to dump in a storm drain like the old man did....

 

[slant6billy]

Also, make sure you mix it well. I had used a competitor to wetter water and froze the top hose of the radiator in my old jeep ZJ. My mix was shitty and the rad was not circulating too good. I buy premix prestone 50/50. I have had tap water eat the gasket on a 3.8 ford and on my 88 GTA. Bottled demineralized non chlorinated water from the detergent isle at the supermarker is the only way but mix it good.

 

[kkritsilas]

The gasket on your 3.8 Ford wasn't eaten by your tap water; the gasket was defective from day 1; Ford has issued recalls for the 3.8 gaskets many years ago. I don't know what happened on your GTA, but it may have been GM's rocket scientist move to save money and use nylon/teflon gasket material, or the older DexCool issues. My 2006 Monte Carlo SS says to mix the DexCool with any potable water; they used to specify distilled water in the past. I still use distilled water, but GM seem unconcerned about tap water usage.

Kostas

 

[lowbudget]

Mine sits at 3/8's on my Aspen and on my Fifth Ave.

 

[8v-of-fury]

I can't recall what stat I put in last year.. but it reads lower, like maybe 1/4 gauge.