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Well first off I just got this truck, and I was wondering where in the needle for the coolant temp gauge should point. Mine stays right around the "N-O" in normal. Never really goes above. Is this okay since its in the normal range, or does it sound like maybe my thermostat is stuck open? I do know that I have a coolant leak which seems to be coming from the water pump gasket; not from the weep hole. I don't know if that could cause anything to do with the temp range.
The factory temperature gauge is well known to give erroneous readings. My '92 F350 w/5.8L engine will always read right at the "n" under most conditions after it comes up to temperature. I verified the real coolant temperature at 192 degrees with an infrared heat gun.
For about $15 you can get a new temp sender. I replaced mine and it reads correctly now. It could also be that someone swapped in a lower temperature thermostat, which is not a good idea.
Haha, yeah. I bought the truck from the original owner who says he never had a problem with it, but ever since I've had it I've found the rear main leaking, rear diff leak, exh manifold cracked and a water leak. I've fixed everything but the coolant leak which I'm doing this weekend. So, I guess while the coolants out illput a new thermostat in it. Thanks for the input.