temp gauge question
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temp gauge question
First post! Be prepared... Ya'll are gunna get a lot of dumb questions from me... I've been wanting to get an old Ford for a long time and finally pulled the trigger! I'm pretty handy but haven't worked on automobiles much. So please forgive me for all the newbie questions that I'll be asking. One of the big reasons I wanted an old truck was to learn how to work on it as I go. Since I'm a newb I had a mechanic check out the truck for me. He said it was in amazing shape and one of the best he's seen from that era. They got it up to 65 mph on the highway and said it ran/drove great. Driving it home after I bought it I noticed the temp gauge getting pretty close to the H. Thought it might be over heating. The more I thought about it I realized I might not know exactly where on the gauge is the danger zone. Pic attached of what the gauge looks like after a few minutes warming up. Is that too hot? Or is any spot in that section in between the C and the H ok? When we were driving it home it actually got to that white line before the H so we turned the heat on and it dropped some. Would hitting that white line be too hot?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Last edited by Squashbuckler; Feb 15, 2018 at 09:34 PM. Reason: Typo
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It would be something I would check out and would consider the gauge to be showing hot. My '74 302 with 180f thermostat, new radiator with shroud, direct driven fan (no clutch), and a fairly new temperature sensor runs just above the lower end of the bracket over the TEMP lettering.
More Turbo
Joined: Sep 2016
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From: Australian Outback
The middle 'U' shaped zone is the normal range, if its within that its fine.
I would replace the thermostat and start there. A faulty / old thermostat will play havoc with your running temperature and is a quick, easy thing to replace.
After that, I would flush the cooling system with water a few times and then replace with appropriate coolant.
If it still doesn't help... you may well need a new water pump and radiator.
- boingk
I would replace the thermostat and start there. A faulty / old thermostat will play havoc with your running temperature and is a quick, easy thing to replace.
After that, I would flush the cooling system with water a few times and then replace with appropriate coolant.
If it still doesn't help... you may well need a new water pump and radiator.
- boingk
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Thanks guys! I’ll keep a close eye on it to make sure it stays in that “u” and if it keeps hitting the far side I’ll probably do as you suggested. My buddy has a ‘66 and said he’s replaced the thermostat more than once. Said it’s real cheap too. Just got the truck (74 F100 with 302) and haven’t even gotten to drive it since I brought it home last weekend.
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