I finally broke down and bought a scangauge to use. I have heard all sorts of good reviews. My questions concerning it are:


1) What operating water temp should I expect. I had 215-220 this morning going 60mph, unloaded.


2)Would this temp sensor be located in the cylinder head and coincide with cylinder head temp??


3) Other than the loaded gauges and the Tranny fluid temp gauge that I loaded, what others are recommended for the gas burner.

 

Unloaded you should see between 188-197 depending on terrain and wether or not you have the ac on sounds like your running a little warm unloaded I'm not sure at what temp the fan comes on at but I would think at 220 it should be making some noise you may want to check coolant level and temps after it has sat all day or night to see if they are within a few degrees of each other. My cylinder head temps and coolant temps have always been within a few ° of each other. The stock tstat in mine was a 185° I went to a 192° when I flushed all the nasty gold coolant out I see between 188-191° normal unloaded ac off driving and 190-197° Seems to be at 193° most of the time ac on with the 192° Tstat. Sounds like you may want to think about doing a coolant flush if you never have a tstat and check out your water pump and fan clutch again not sure when the fan kicks on but at 220° I would think you should hear it running. I watch coolant temp trans temp volts and rpms on mine rpm is really just cause I needed a 4th sometimes I'll check fuel level too. Here's the code for cylinder head temp I'd compare it to the coolant temp and see what you get
Cylinder Head Temperature
TxdC410F1221624 rxf 046205160624 rxd3010 mth 000200010000 name CHT

 

I put in a motorcraft thermostat 190° last summer and have not seen more than 193°. Averaging 190-191° consistently.

I run RPM, water temp, iat in farenheit and TFT constantly.

 

I've got an Ultragauge plugged into my truck and as others, I typically see 190-205 degrees F tops.

 

Coolant temp sounds way too hot to me, unloaded in the summer I am usually around 188-192. Cylinder head temp and coolant temp are usually within a few degrees of eachother in my experience. With CHT usually being a little higher.

 

Agree with everyone else, your temperatures are too warm. Don't concern yourself with the cooling fan, that won't affect temperatures at 60 MPH; airflow through the radiator is provided by the truck moving through the air.

I pulled as high as 16,000 lbs with my old Excursion and never saw above 210. Something doesn't seem right, perhaps you have a bad thermostat or clogged radiator. Has your cooling system been maintained?

 

I been running a scanguage 2 on my truck for about a year. The highest I have seen is 205 towing my race trailer. My normal temp is from 195-200.


The cylinder head temp is separate from the water temp.

 

Thanks for all the input. I did speak to the service dept at my local dealer and he said that sounded normal??? He said I could bring it in and he would take my money, but would not feel right about doing so! So, I am going to change the thermostat today and see what happens. I did check the coolant and levels yesterday and all is good.


I have had this truck for about 4 years and have never had a single issue other than routine maintenance. Hopefully it is working as normal, but it is always better to find trouble before it finds you.


As for the gauges I have displayed, TFT, WT, IAT and VLT. I can't believe I waited this long to get the Scangauge.

 

I felt the same way about the scangauge what a awesome tool.

 

Wow, it has been years since I found a dealer service guy like that, most want to tell you how stupid you are and how much they want you to pay them whether you really need the repair or not.

Shake his hand and buy him a beer!

 

I bought a Motorcraft thermostat at the local dealer last year for my old mans 03' when I changed the water pump and coolant. The parts guy told me all the thermostats for the 99'-04' gas SDs are 180 degree now. Don't know if it was true but the thermostat I bought was a 180 deg.

 

Hmmm that's interesting as I changed mine last summer and it runs around 190°. I have seen 198° the other day though. May change to the Ford Gold soon.

 

One easy quick test would be to check and make sure that you don't
have a lot of stuff stuck to the radiator. Things like dead bugs or mud
if you have been off in the dirt.


But that temp does sound a bit high for a gas engine. Be sure to check you temp
readings after it has sat for 8 + Hours to stabilize. See if they are all within a few º
of each other.

Good luck.


Sean

 

Next weekend I'll be moving the 5th wheel and make a note what the Water temp, Trans fluid, Cylinder head read but they are not as high as yours Diamnd1. The suggestion of cleaning all the radiators is spot on, I'll spray off occasionally but will wipe the bugs and debris off all in side a out being careful to not damage the coolers before pulling the 5th wheel.

 

Ok. I changed the thermostat 192° yesterday and it had some damage to the bottom of it. The copper that is rolled over the flat washer, half of it was gone. I did see remnants of it in the bucket I drained the radiator into. Temps are holding around 207-211. I inspected the outside of the coolers and they are clean. After speaking to the service guy again, he assured me those temps are normal. I do think I will have the system flushed next week for piece of mind.