I got the torque application and my coolant goes from 195 - 205 is this normal? 205 seems high this is freeway driving at 70 mph with a outside temp of 40 f. It has a fairly new radiator as well as good coolant. If this is normal that is fine but if not I need to look into it further for the cause.
Normal coolant temperature
- Thread starter Shadowbiker
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In the height of a Nevada or Idaho summer hauling tail on the interstate, I've seen mine no higher than 185F with the Torque application...temp gauge needle points dead at the bottom of the little thermometer symbol on the gauge.
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What year? Emissions reductions come at the expense of engine heat. Back in the day, if my '69 Camaro big block had ever gotten to 190 I would have freaked out. Nowadays they run em hot to cut down on emissions. 190 - 220 is pretty normal
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It is a 98 with 270 k on it
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So would the thermostat be the best place to start? It has a one year old radiator and good Toyota red coolant. I read the lower and upper rad hoses should be around the same temp. When I feel them the upper is hot and the lower hose is warm but not hot.
OEM radiator? With your temp range I wouldn't freak out and start throwing money at the truck, plenty of people have temps in that range and hotter. Regular temps over 215* is where you want to probably worry. The thermostat is a regular replacement item if you're doing the rad and coolant, I'd start there.
I rarely see 200° in the hottest part of the AZ summer pulling a 5000# boat on grade in our '99
Same goes for trans as long as I stay out of OD
Same goes for trans as long as I stay out of OD
I used to average temps between 190-205 but recently changed out the waterpump/thermostat/coolant with a TB service. Now it runs about 185-190. I did not have any issues running the higher numbers even on a 2k road trip. As far as the upper and lower radiator hoses, I would think one would be hotter due to coolant just flowing out of the motor and the other one would be warmer due to coolant heat being lowered/disapated as it passes through the radiator. You may also want to check the fan clutch to see if it needs replacing or service. Good luck.
If it is actually higher at highway temps that is almost certainly an airflow problem, could be coolant flow, like water pump or thermostat, but this is much more simple and cheaper to test. Check all of the foam lining between the skid plate and lower rad, and the foam on the sides too. That stuff might look tiny but it has a profound effect on the effectiveness of the radiator. When you put the new one in I bet you didn't get all the foam quite right, its pretty tricky to do with the OEM stuff. Go to home depot and get some of that wrap around insulating foam(the stuff that springs back instantly when you squeeze it, not the squishy stuff) for AC systems and cut it up and shove it in the holes, probably will require some duct tape to hold it in, but this stuff actually works really well for testing this, I'm not sure that I would make it a permanent solution though, you can get it to where it stays in place pretty well, but my only concern would be how flammable it is, I would try to light it on fire and see how it acted before you did any heavy hauling with it, but for just testing it has always worked perfectly for me. Just make sure that the path of least resistance for the air to flow is actually the radiator, and not the holes on the side of it.
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Ok I bought a new oem thermostat today and put it in. Drove on the freeway at 70 and the highest it got was 188 so that was it I also tested both the new and old thermostat in water and the new one opened wider than the old one at the same temperature. Glad I replaced it it was an oem one but the rubber was getting torn for all I know it could have been the original.
