Another new ScanGuage owner here and let me first say it's a neat little gadget. So I got it hooked up yesterday and installed a few X-Guages but my main concern was monitoring the ECT and EOT. Per the title of the message I got a maximum ECT of 197 and max EOT of 211. It looks to me like those readings are high. I'm thinking as a first step to flush the cooling system and replace the T-stat and then see what happens.

Any other thoughts or ideas on what these readings may indicate? I should add that these readings were in stop and go traffic and I did just go through the FICM drill/fix. I haven't been able to get the FICM X-Guage to work yet but plan on trying again later this morning but I can defintely feel a big difference in how it runs and starts.

Any thoughts or ideas are appreciate. The truck is an '04, 250, 6.0 with about 185k. No real mods, just removed the muffler and planning on deleting the kitty.

 

I'm in the same boat as you. Recently setup the SCII to monitor the temps. My ECT is running between 191 - 195 and the EOT is usually 8 to 13 degrees higher. Mostly highway traffic.

A coolant flush is next on the list for me as well. I also have a coolant filter that will be installed after the flush.

I have an '04 with 76K. No mods.

 

Yea, I'm withihn the 15 degree tolerance but the ECT seems high. Part of my dilema is that I've ben doing allot of reading on this forum and now I'm undecided at whether to use VC-9 or Restore and then Ford Gold or Zerex. I will be purchasing one of the coolant filter kits as well and installing as soon as the final flush is complete. Hopefully this alone will drop my ECT which should then drop the EOT.

 

You should be judging your measurements while driving a consistent speed on a highway. If you are pulling a hill and it's hot outside, 197 is not a high ECT. If you're cruising down the freeway at 65 it probably is a little up there. While driving consistently, 14 degrees difference is pushing the envelope but it is within tolerance. If, say, you're pulling a hill and ECT and EOT climb, then you top the hill, ECT will drop a lot faster than EOT and you may go over the differential. That's not a problem. It has to be measured while driving a consistent speed on flat ground.

The thermostat starts to open at 190 degrees, and is fully open at 219 degrees. So there is a significant safe range.

 

Your ect is normal. 195 to 204 is a normal range. Some say they are running 190. That's OK but a little on the low side. Also your spread should be taken after about 15 to 20 miles of hiway speed driving on level ground. Going up/down hills will cause the delta to widen.

 

Well this is all very reassuring. I was worried that 197 was a bit on the high side. I'm still thinking a good coolant flush and addition of a coolant filter would only help matters.

I'll take it out for a good ride this weekend and see what kind of readings I get and then go from there.

 

here's some info on the flush

VC-9 Before and after; Worth the money - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

 

If those numbers were in stop and go traffic????

my truck will cool down in stop and go unless its 90+

 

Certainly ECT's have a wider "normal range" than 195 to 204. My coolant at a steady 65 maintains around 190-193 while EOT is approx 5-9* more.

 

With the digital age - we are getting far more precise values than
was ever displayed before, so we have to realize EVERY vehicle we've
ever driven always had temps vary with load - but we never KNEW it.

I would listen to 69cj (I sure do), the temp delta is really only valid
at hi-way speeds after 15+ minutes of steady/flat/no towing
(AND after temps are fully warmed up - ECT/EOT @ 190*).
Going up/down hills, stop-n-go, etc. changes the temps and
isn't part of the test. I'm not sure what conditions you saw the
temps you reported, so keep that in mind.

My own experience to help ease your concerns.

I bought my Ex in Oct '10, the ECT never got above 180*, my EOT was
180* - I thought "good news". Well, I replaced the t-stat and
my ECT would hover about 190*but even in the "cool" season in FL on the hi-way
I saw as high as 190 ECT/208 EOT - thus, I went full bulletproof setup
in Feb before the heat of summer got here.

During the spring I always saw temps solidly @ 190 - for both ECT/EOT.
Now it's "summer" with afternoon temps of 95*,
with A/C on I've seen both temps go as high as 200* when stopping
in traffic after 2+ hours non-stop on the highway.

Even around town after 30+ minutes temps will vary from 190-196
as the air-flow changes with speed,
and the t-stat adjusts to the changing cooling.

 

I never said that was unacceptable, just a tad on the cool side. You have no problems but if they start dropping into the 180's I would change the t-stat. Diesels use compression and internal heat to maintain efficiency. Too cold reduces the efficiency among other things.

 

I've been pulling my 32' tt quite a bit lately so here is a different observation for you.
Flat ground running 70mph I see ect @ 200-205 eot @ 212-215 at 95 degrees with a/c.
While pulling hills I see ect @ 205-215 eot @ 220-230 so I'm stayin at the 15 degree point and the fan very rarely kisks in wich I find a little odd, but I'm still within tollerance at the high side. Unloaded I see ect @190 - 195 eot @200 - 205

 

Are you running a tuner?

 

Yes, my numbers were in stop and go traffic - actually more stop than go, and the ambient air temp was close to 90 with AC on high.

I'm going to try and take it out this weekend run the "real" test and see what I can see, but I'm feeling pretty good about how she's running. The FICM fix really increased responsiveness and it actullay starts right up now!

I just have a few extra dollars and wanted to take care whatever it may need while I can. I was actually considering the Bulletproof solution or perhaps the EGR delete if it was clogged, but if everything's running normal I prefer to leave well enough alone and just do the coolant flush along with the addition of the coolant filter. I figure it's got about 185k and if it's still running good then that's great.

I need to run down to my dealership and see what they can pull up for service records.

I don't run a tuner and don't really think I will. I thought about the SCT Livewire but will it really help or is it just a nice "toy" to have?

I do occassionally pull a 20' enclosed trailer full of four wheelers so I really want to make sure everything's good before taking it out on another one of those trips.

 

When you do your "real test"...

In my experience, an important factor is how fast the EOT goes down after a hard run. For example, if you climb a grade at highway speeds, your ECT will go up fast, and your EOT will go up too, and on a steep grade it may well go more than a 15° delta over ECT. That may not be a concern. But when you crest that grade, your ECT is going to drop like a stone. You EOT will probably exceed the 15° on most anyone's truck, but it should be dropping at a steady rate. A rate that easily shows you it is cooling off and transferring the heat within the oil cooler. The fact that it is transferring heat is key, and means that coolant is flowing. You'll get a pretty good feeling when you see the EOT dropping quickly, and a bad feeling if you don't. It is very intuitive. Although I was in denial for some time.