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1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Early Eighties Bullnose Ford Truck

Cooling temp fluctuates

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Old Jan 10, 2006 | 02:00 PM
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Cooling temp fluctuates

after i replaced my thermostat my temp started fluctuating(overheat/cooldown while driving) i think it's my thermostat sticking, i also replaced my radiator at the same time
 
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Old Jan 10, 2006 | 06:16 PM
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I've started to get a temperature reading that goes all over the place.
I'm sure it's the stat. All I can say is don't buy the cheapest.....get a Motorcraft.
 
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Old Jan 10, 2006 | 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by vhswrestler2005
after i replaced my thermostat my temp started fluctuating(overheat/cooldown while driving) i think it's my thermostat sticking, i also replaced my radiator at the same time
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Old Jan 10, 2006 | 07:17 PM
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sure its the acutal temp? mine uesd to bounce around before i cleaned up the groudn wires.
 
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Old Jan 11, 2006 | 12:33 AM
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A thermostat installed backward (spring side toward radiator) can cause that symptom.
 
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Old Jan 11, 2006 | 01:30 AM
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Originally Posted by vhswrestler2005
after i replaced my thermostat my temp started fluctuating(overheat/cooldown while driving) i think it's my thermostat sticking, i also replaced my radiator at the same time
If you replaced the radiator, you might have an air pocket still trapped in the system.
 
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Old Jan 11, 2006 | 04:17 AM
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I keep hearing about air pockets, yet somehow over the last forty years we never had such a problem. Just put coolant and water into the radiator and GO!
 
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Old Jan 11, 2006 | 11:17 AM
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In 50 years of vehicle ownership/maintenance I've never seen any problem I could attribute to an "air pocket". I suspect, as rough and irregular as the water passages in an engine are, turbulent flow would remove any air initially trapped within a matter of a few minutes after the thermostat opened.
 
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Old Jan 25, 2006 | 02:51 PM
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Sometimes my thermostat reading will jump around too. Where is it grounded?
 
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Old Jan 25, 2006 | 09:07 PM
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It grounds through the temp sender. When changing the stat it may have been disturbed causing erratic readings. Check the connection, make sure it's sound.

A sticking thermostat will most often stick in one position so I doubt that's it.
 
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Old Jan 28, 2006 | 08:57 AM
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I hope no one minds if I jump in here on the subject of air pockets...

Originally Posted by srercrcr
I keep hearing about air pockets, yet somehow over the last forty years we never had such a problem. Just put coolant and water into the radiator and GO!
When you drain your cooling system you get air in your engine's coolant passages. When you refill your system the air from the engine is trying to escape into the radiator through the thermostat. If your t-stat is good it will block the air from exiting. When the radiator is full there could still be air trapped behind the t-stat. It takes longer for the t-stat to open when it is not in direct contact with hot water so you could have a chance to overheat. Once the t-stat opens, the air bubble is gone and should operate normally after that. That's when you should let it cool down and top off your coolant.

I doubt an air pocket is the problem with vhswrestler2005's truck, though. It sounds more like a gauge problem or it could simply be low on coolant.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2006 | 04:47 AM
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I agree with that.
Many newer cars though are having air pocket problems that don't disapear, apparantly because the radiators are a lower profile, the air seeks the highest point which is in the engine, instead of in our trucks where it's the filler neck.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2006 | 01:54 PM
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It could aslo be your fan clutch? I know mine whent bad, and would overhead wile in town... but be perfectly fine past 30mph.. So i put an electric fan in there... problem solved.

Sometimes you can even get a bad new theromsdat
 
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