overheating problem?

[gabousquet]

Hi all,

Wondering if anyboby has run into this situation before...
Lately when I've been out with my 60, the temp gauge will stay at a little less than halfway. If I stop and restart it, it jumps all the way to almost in the red and once I drive for a minute it goes back to normal. I got the rad recored last year, brand new hoses and thermostat as well. Any thoughts?

George

 

[cfdlighthouse]

Hi all,

Wondering if anyboby has run into this situation before...
Lately when I've been out with my 60, the temp gauge will stay at a little less than halfway. If I stop and restart it, it jumps all the way to almost in the red and once I drive for a minute it goes back to normal. I got the rad recored last year, brand new hoses and thermostat as well. Any thoughts?

George

get a mechanical guage to see your true temp.

but think about it. hot motor running , water pump circulating, air moved over radiator engine stays cool

hot motor not running, no collant flow, no air through radiator, where does heat stay???? in the motor heating your coolant up.

once start again, coolant flow, air through radiator and engine temp cools down.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

cfdl has it regarding the heatsoak, but normal driving temp being 'little less than halfway' ...
Is this also a new finding? It's not immediatley harmful, of course, but if'n you've noted a recent temp increase, we should start finding out why.
Why could be: Weak fan clutch, slipping belt, air pocketing, weak water pump (think impeller corroding to nothing on the inside) and more.

 

[cruiser88]

In a cruiser when you run for a while...at least till its warmed up and you shut it down then come back lets say 5 minutes turn the key on.... it is normal for the temp to go up. If you had a real gauge it would do the same instead you would the temp go up as soon as you shut the rig off.

 

[cruiser88]

get a mechanical guage to see your true temp.

but think about it. hot motor running , water pump circulating, air moved over radiator engine stays cool

hot motor not running, no collant flow, no air through radiator, where does heat stay???? in the motor heating your coolant up.

once start again, coolant flow, air through radiator and engine temp cools down.

x2..thats why some folks buy a aftermarket fan....not to use when its on but when the rig is turned off

 

[gabousquet]

thanks for all the replies...

I think that I will flush the system again this year and replace the thermostat to be sure. Belts are good as well as the clutch fan and rad cap . Only thing I haven't replaced is the water pump. Just really wanted to know if it was normal for the temp gauge to spike like that as I can't really remember it doing that before. Only been out with the truck a few times this year and it hasn't been that hot yet. (60-70F)

George

 

[REKCUT]

The most important thing is to install a mechanical guage. It will continue to operate after you shut off the truck. It is simple to install. It is inexpensive. Above you were given several reason it could be hot. The one not covered is that the ground on the guages go bad. You could be chasing all of this for no reason. PUt in the guage. While your are at it add a mechanical oil guage also.

 

[lehiguy]

Plus 1 on the heat soak. Cruisers have great cooling systems and they hold four gallons of coolant. If your thermostat is ok and you don't have a hideous leak, I can't imagine you having trouble. I have converted two Cruisers to V8s and I used the stock radiator on both without any issues.

 

[Mace]

The cruisers cooling system is not impressive, the stock radiator is typicaly smaller and less effecient than comes in my truck V8 conversions.

Cruisers cool well because they have a huge cast Iron Heat sink of a motor and they do not create a large amount of HP.

Most people that do V8 conversions require a different radiator, but there are a select few that do not seem to.

 

[Downey]

Another explanation is that you could be measuring STEAM when the engine is not running. Steam is much hotter than water, and your temp sender could actually be in a steam pocket when water is not circulating?????

 

[rchalmers3]

Ditto on Downey's word regarding air pockets. Also a sticking thermostat will cause fluctuations. While the recommendation to verify the temp using a good known second guage is good thinking, I have not seen problems with the origonal guage or senders. I nthink you can trust the readings.

Rick