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Aftermarket water temp gauge

1281 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  hubkap
I have Autometer Nexus gauges(A/F ratio, boost & water temp.). Lately have been trying to diagnos my issue with loss of throttle response & power(about 20%). Driving today noticed while waiting in line at gas station that water temp. gauge was high. Normally when car is started it's at 170, normally hovers around 180, have seen as high as 190 before. At gas station in park, no A/C & idling it went up from 180-210, 2 degrees every 3 seconds. After car was moving it dropped back to 190. Every time I stopped it would shoot back up until I got moving again. Was always at least 185+ which is above what it normally is. Daily temp was 75 degrees. What are possible causes for this happening.
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Stuck thermostat?
If you have a stock thermostat, it should be a 195 degree, so your temps sound very normal. Most modern FI engines are designed to run at 200-210 all the time, since it provides better mileage and lower emissions.

Ford dampens the movement of the stock gauge so that its not much better than an idiot light. You are seeing a normal variation in temp range because you have a real gauge. The stock gauge stays in mid range unless the temp shoots sky high (probably 230-250 degrees).

Bruce
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If you have a stock thermostat, it should be a 195 degree, so your temps sound very normal. Most modern FI engines are designed to run at 200-210 all the time, since it provides better mileage and lower emissions.

Ford dampens the movement of the stock gauge so that its not much better than an idiot light. You are seeing a normal variation in temp range because you have a real gauge. The stock gauge stays in mid range unless the temp shoots sky high (probably 230-250 degrees).

Bruce
Thanks for the response. I think I have the stock thermostat, unless Whipple changes it with the S/C install? Just was concerned because in 3 years I've never seen the gauge get that hot. With my loss of power & throttle response I've been looking closely at all aspects of the car to try to resolve issue.
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Whiplash - the stock thermostat in your car is 180*, not 195, and since you said you've not seen temps like this in 3+ years of driving, plus you've got performance losses that could be due to excessive heat (but not heat soak as mentioned in your other thread) I would at least encourage you to replace your thermostat with an OE 180* unit (Motorcraft, Stant, or Gates).

That might resolve one or perhaps even both issues (fingers crossed) - unusually high temperature readings (for your setup) that could also be pulling timing, reducing your performance.

Worth a shot anywho for $6.
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Whiplash - the stock thermostat in your car is 180*, not 195, and since you said you've not seen temps like this in 3+ years of driving, plus you've got performance losses that could be due to excessive heat (but not heat soak as mentioned in your other thread) I would at least encourage you to replace your thermostat with an OE 180* unit (Motorcraft, Stant, or Gates).

That might resolve one or perhaps even both issues (fingers crossed) - unusually high temperature readings (for your setup) that could also be pulling timing, reducing your performance.

Worth a shot anywho for $6.

I was just going to say that it sounds like the car might be pulling timing causing the lack of accelleration. Another thing, check and make sure your fan is still functioning correctly. If your fan isn't kicking on right, you might see coolant temp increases while sitting still or moving very slowly. When you start goign again, you have air moving through the radiator, and temps come back down.
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Whiplash - the stock thermostat in your car is 180*, not 195, and since you said you've not seen temps like this in 3+ years of driving, plus you've got performance losses that could be due to excessive heat (but not heat soak as mentioned in your other thread) I would at least encourage you to replace your thermostat with an OE 180* unit (Motorcraft, Stant, or Gates).

That might resolve one or perhaps even both issues (fingers crossed) - unusually high temperature readings (for your setup) that could also be pulling timing, reducing your performance.

Worth a shot anywho for $6.
Thanks for your helpful input. I'll try anything at this point. If timing is being pulled, would this cause loss of throttle response. Before problem, I would have to feather touch throttle to go, now 3/8" before car begins to move.
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Thanks for your helpful input. I'll try anything at this point.
I don't blame you, I'd be rubbing a Buddha belly or something if I thought that might help :winks

If timing is being pulled, would this cause loss of throttle response. Before problem, I would have to feather touch throttle to go, now 3/8" before car begins to move.
Honestly, no, I don't think timing being pulled would cause that but then again I'm not sure...you've got a gremlin somewhere and we just hope to see it fixed. :bigthumbsup
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