Typical temp needle position?

luckyjoe

Well-known member
Oct 10, 2004
455
118
New Jersey USA
I haven't been driving our D1 daily, and I can't remember the typical temp needle position. The radiator is in great shape, but the needle rests around 25% on the temp gauge. Ambient of about 30F in the morning, up to the 50's during the day.

IIRC, the needle used to move closer to 45% and sit there, regardless of driving situation. I did check the temp through OBD2 software, and it registered 186deg.F, which I would think is higher than 25% on the gauge.

So, I'll prpbably replace the t-stat when I do the hoses this month. Any other thoughts??? Temp sender???

Regards,

Tom P.
 

lcater

Well-known member
Mar 6, 2006
293
0
Canada
voltage? Check the voltage as I think these are voltage based guages, which requires a steady 11.5 or greater volts.
 
A

Artsand

Guest
Hi Joe

I will point to the termostat being always open.......that or the sender.....these things do not normally go wrong.....pretty reliable gauge....

Cheers
 

DJAC

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2005
285
0
54
Buffalo, NY
Artsand said:
Hi Joe

I will point to the termostat being always open.......that or the sender.....these things do not normally go wrong.....pretty reliable gauge....

Cheers
A factory guage being reliable????:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: that is a good one!!!!! Oh and btw, viva la Portugal!!!!
 

k12

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2005
182
0
Colorado
If it is stuck open, that's better than stuck closed! I just replaced my t-stat and hoses, and water pump, clutch fan, fan, temp sender, etc., and I remember the t-stat being 195 degrees?

As a note, the torque specs for the t-stat housing are a bit off I think. Mine has a slight leak there now. I would do the book torque, run it till warm up, then turn them in 1/8to-1/4 more of a turn. JMHO.
 
S

Swa j-Ten

Guest
I usually point mine at about 45%, which is where I reckon it would be under normal conditions.
 
k12 said:

OK, go ahead and blame all of your engine temp problems on the off chance the thermostat has actually been stuck closed.

In this case, we have nothing but anecdotal information, AND, the readout of the OBD-II realtime data is consistent with a well running engine.
 

MUSKYMAN

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2004
8,277
0
OverBarrington IL
I'm with Paul here I have never seen one stuck closed either.

I have seen many many many that open 20* late and close back down right at that same temp on the cool down cycle,and plenty that are stuck slightly open and never move but never truley stuck closed.

and to add to the knowledge here...

to test a thermostat just take a pan of water and set the burner on high, toss the thermostat in and use a candy thermometer to watch the water temp. using the burner you can cycle it through different temperature ranges and watch to make sure its working correctly
 

MUSKYMAN

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2004
8,277
0
OverBarrington IL
dhuddleson said:
Change the thermostat, it is not expensive and easily accessed on a D1.

no offence but thats not really good advice

test the thermostat is the correct advice

just swapping it is playing a guessing game. and whenever you throw parts at something no matter how inexpensive they are you dont really confirm the extent of a problem.

cooling is a balencing act, at this time of year in most climates it may not take much to tip the scales. that dosent say thier isnt a worn out clutch fan or a clogged radiator just waiting to kill your engine at a inopportune moment.

testing thermostats is something that used to be done all the time, and I dont know of many race teams that dont test new ones when setting up a engine.

one thing we can do as owners that maintain our own trucks is take the few extra steps to safeguard our own asses
 
A

Artsand

Guest
Cardoso....

Greetings from Portugal....or should I say "Boas Noites"..........I said "reliable" not "acurate".............two diferent words.....

And yes I continue to say that they are reliable....

See ya

P.S. I'm with you guys....never seen a thermostat stuck close.........probably I'm too young for that...
 

BaldEagle

Well-known member
Sep 13, 2004
2,824
0
Atlanta, GA
my 96 temp has been right in the middle for the last 200k miles, no matter what condition, two times it ran colder while coming out of the mountains in 10 degree weather. the 98, however, always runs at about 30% on the gauge. weird. i guess the gauges just arent accuarte/reliable because neither of them have cooling issues