So how hot you think she is? I was working her good that day

 

If you trust old ford guages I'd be more concerned with the lack of oil pressure! My 89 used to get hot like that, one swift smack on the dash and she would cool right down.

 

Unless it's spraying coolant out of the radiator cap, you're not overheating.

If that gauge is 'accurate', I'd say somewhere in the 220-225 range.

 

one day I got my 88 hot enough it started popping and smoking once it cooled off I think I did it some good

 

no matter how hot she gets the upper hose is never pressurized. No matter how hard I work her she always cools down when I come to a stop. when it stays hot most of the day the engine runs smoother and gets better mpg so sometimes I stuff a pizza box in front of the radiator to keep her running hotter.

 

You gotta love the IDI, no oil pressure, no fuel, almost dead batteries, core temperature in the reactor peaking, and it'll still do almost 63 mph!

 

whataya mean no fuel no oil pressure and dead battery? the temp gauge is always dead nuts!
Fuel gauge works, look outside!
Battery? I have one, a Odessey 2150 8 year old battery
peaking? no! it has pegged the gauge before, never lost a drop of coolant in 9 years

Starts everyday and has had two oil changes since new 30,000 miles ago.

 

I'm not sure what you're saying there, but I was just ribbing you over the readings on your gauges.

 

did you see the fuel pressure gauge on the cowl? best fuel gauge you can have! real time!
Yea the gauges that work, work fine. Temp gauge works perfect since 1999.

Let me tell you this in 2001/2004 if my truck was that hot on the gauge it was like a steam train about to burst and did many times on me out on the road

2005/2014 never a worry anymore, no more driving will sitting on thumb tacks watching the temp gauge swing hard right until the engine sounds funny.
I can say this confidently overheating out on the road will never happen to me again like it used to.

Coolant is everything and we all started, well most of us using water.
I was determined to find a solution to cooling issues and I found the product.
It only took me a few minutes to realize once on top of things cooling system issues while ownership of vehicle will be much much less for me since I own older vehicles that I keep for years and years.
A no brainer for me since I do all my own work.

 

I suppose I'm an opposite example then:
1. The coolant I have in my truck is mostly the same green stuff as I had when I got the truck, 5+ years ago.
2. This coolant has had various 'no-no's added to it: I've added some Orange Napa coolant, some "dexcool"-compatible and some stop-leak.
3. A few months ago, I added the recommended amount of Napakool SCAs, because. I checked it a couple weeks later, measures fine.

This coolant looks like something that came from a mudbog; it's this horrible brownish color. But...

Last I drained it, there was no problem. No 'mud' in the bottom, nothing. Even the petcock works fine.

I also have a cheap, Carquest Chinese brand thermostat, after the stock one failed.

I recently took a trip, 600 miles across the mountains hauling a trailer. -- 6K or so over, probably 9-10K back. I never overheated my engine. Never even got to 230. I was pushing the limits of my EGTs most of the way, too.
(And I have an accurate temp gauge, mind).

 

Mine is running on the "L" and the infrared thermometer read 235-240 at the thermostat housing, 230 at the top radiator inlet, and 125 at the bottom radiator outlet (90 degree day). The thermometer should be good +/-5 degrees. She continues to run on the "L" even when I let her idle in the driveway. I am going to do a flush but it looks like the thermostat may not be opening all the way or the water pump is shot.

 

It's not opening *period*.
These engines can, and will run at low power levels with the thing totally blocked -- there's enough convection through the bottom radiator hose to handle it.

 

If that were the case, I would expect the top hose to be cooler and the bottom hose to be close to ambient temp. Is that heat coming from the bypass? I have been planning to replace the thermostat, a 2 hour job which is 4 hours and 2 gaskets in my time.

 

I'm guessing that you're getting convection/bypass, just enough to warm the top. Mine did the same thing, but as the hot coolant just sat there in the top radiator hose, there was no flow, and therefor the rest of the coolant stays cool.

The bottom hose is getting warmed slightly by convection, as well -- or simply the steel fittings warming it up due to direct convection from the (very hot) block.

 

All the anti-freeze out of radiator and block was real clean; however, the heater core is stopped up. I will flush the radiator to determine if it is also plugged up. I have decide to replace the thermostat in the morning then proceed with the chemical flush.

There are many discussions around thermostats on the forum, and with the helpful replies to this post, I am confident replacing the thermostat will not be a waste of time.

Now I need to find out how to release the serpentine tensioner so I can remove the belt.