So I had the truck running for an hour today and it didn't even get warm. It was 66* out and the block temp only got up to about 110-120*. AFTER AN HOUR! Granted this was only idling, but still, it should have warmed itself up.

And last winter, I was driving in the snow at about 35mph towing 7000lbs up hills and the engine never got up to temp until I started driving faster and pulling harder.

I think something must be wrong with it, I'm in arizona and I have a truck that runs cold if it's not 100* outside.

 

you have the coolant by-pass filtration? i noticed the same with mine, after install. But yet, slapped same diy system on buddies, and didnt effect cooling/temp

 

Have you changed the thermostat?

 

What are you using to measure this? Laser or IR thermometer? Did you measure the coolant temp at the thermostat housing?

 

No, it's all stock in that department.

I hear they run real good with a 201* thermostat ?

 

Never done the thermostat,

I was using my IR gun.

 

I'd watch that thermostat to see if it's doing its job. You may need to remove it and boil test it to make sure it works.

 

The truck never overheats. I know the thermostat opens, maybe it's stuck open.

 

Might be time for a thermostat. You may want to pick up a billet thermostat neck also. The stock stamped steel one is junk.
One thing to keep in mind about a hotter thermostat is it also raises your oil temp.
This is a subject that diesel owners like to argue but I will stick with the stock therm.
I remember back in the mid 2000's when Cat decided to run their engines hotter to improve emissions.
I had a nice long chat with a Cat tech about it & long story short they went back to a lower coolant temp.

 

Well, 195 to 203 is only 8* difference. IH calls for 203, while ford says 195. Some guys say 203* makes it run better.

Opinions? Experiences?

 

I have the dieselsite (203 or whatnot) not sure if I can tell a difference.

 

A hotter engine is like giving it a "microchip" - the fuel burns a little quicker and that's a good thing on a stock-tuned truck. Unfortunately, you throw your oil under the bus in the process. This speeds up its breakdown.

I should point out we're talking about levels that perception plays a bigger role than data.

My default attitude is "Save the oil".

 

Wrong thread. Sorry

 

Is there anything to back this up or is this just your gut feeling talking?

8 degrees is what? Barely 4 percent if my math doesn't fail me.

It certainly is within tolerance of a temp sensor to even be able to notice on the gauge.

What's the tolerance of A thermostat after say 6 months of use?

My shoddy math aside, there are folks here on the forum who regularly do oil analysis. If one were to look hard enough perhaps we could find someone who has tested oil quality on both tstats.

 

Another thing to consider is your oil-to-water tranny cooler IF you have one. I don't so I can't tell you if your tranny temps will suffer after the swap.

Anyone know where in the flow of the coolant OTW tranny cooler is?