Temperature at the Radiator?

[Fuzz420]

I did some searching but couldnt find what i was looking for. I have a water temperature gauge and its plumbed directed in to the radiator. As of lately my fan shroud broke and im seeing the temperature rise at the radiator. I would like to know what is an acceptable range would be.Keep in mind that this a Koyo radiator and my stock water temp gauge is hooked up but the dash doesnt work. Thanks for reading

 

[Fuzz420]

No one out there has a temp gauge plumbed directly into the radiator?

In the end of summer last year i would see 140*F. Over the last couple of days its been creeping up to 140*F then to 150-60*F

 

[viper92086]

not sure if this helps but mine with a mishimoto 3row is at 90c on the highway cruising at like 3.5krpm (4.3 diff sucks) my sensor is where the stock water guage temp sensor used to be

 

[Kckazdude]

I would highly advise putting your temp probe into the factory location to monitor your temps more consistantly. You are taking a measurement after the t-stat and that could be really bad in case of t-stat or water pump failure.

Without a fan shroud you will see higher temps of ~10-20°.

 

[sneakypete]

i have an aftermarket gauge before the thermostat, and the stock gauge (useless) after. the aftermarket gauge reads about 175 F during normal driving. 180 F after a few hard pulls. im running a "godspeed" 3 row with efans and aluminum shroud. not sure what the temps will look like in the summer as this is a new cooling system setup.

140 F doesnt seem that high to me. actually seems low. what thermostat are u running?
-pete

 

[jdub]

140 deg F is too low...the ECU stays in warm-up enrichment until 80 deg C

 

[viper92086]

i have an aftermarket gauge before the thermostat, and the stock gauge (useless) after. the aftermarket gauge reads about 175 F during normal driving. 180 F after a few hard pulls. im running a "godspeed" 3 row with efans and aluminum shroud. not sure what the temps will look like in the summer as this is a new cooling system setup.

140 F doesnt seem that high to me. actually seems low. what thermostat are u running?
-pete

hey pete what thermostat r u running? my car seems like it runs hot compared to urs

 

[sneakypete]

toyota oem

 

[Fuzz420]

Thanks for the responses

Well i ended up pulling the shroud off. It was slipping off and stopping the fan,so that explains the temp rise.

As far as i know it has the factory t-stat. The most ive ever seen the temp gauge go up to in the summer was 150*F on the highway going about 90mph with 95* outside.

 

[viper92086]

weird... mines stays at 90C no matter if its cold out or summer which is 194f

 

[jdub]

weird... mines stays at 90C no matter if its cold out or summer which is 194f

That is perfect...right at the OEM thermostat temp rating and is what the ECU expects to "see". Means your cooling system is in good shape and has the excess capacity to handle OAT changes.

 

[viper92086]

^ok thats good to hear.. lol every post i looked up i the past people are saying their cars are at 180f and i'm like what the hell, this new 3row rad isnt doing anything for me

 

[jdub]

Like I said earlier, below 176 deg F the ECU is in warm-up enrichment. Above 210 deg F the ECU pulls timing.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

I also see 195F coolant temps in the summer. My sending unit is installed in the thermostat housing. As mentioned best place to install is the water outlet housing, where the factory sending unit resides.

OP: Where did you install the sending unit? Bottom of the radiator?

 

[Fuzz420]

Frank-Yes its in the bottom left of the rad.

 

[jmjecc]

The factory guage pulls temps right after the tstat which is correct. that's why temps read funny, because the radiator is doing it's job and temps will be different, especially if reading at the bottom of the radiator. most cars use the lower radiator port for running the electric fan because it needs to cool when the hot water finishes crossing to the pickup in the radiator.
Most parts stores supply an adaptor kit for installing guages in the factory sensor hole.

 

[jetjock]

^ The bottom of the radiator is the suction port. It's where the coolest water will be. Flow-wise that puts the factory sensor before the thermostat. Or maybe I didn't understand you...

 

[Supracentral]

Where in the radiator is the gauge plugged in?

Overall the temperature in the radiator isn't what your really care about, it the temperature of the water in the block, and the ability of the water in the radiator to replace that water with COOLER water and pull heat out as it passes through.

Most temp gauges measure directly at the thermostat. Depending on where you are plumbed in, 140F might be 100% normal.

 

[Fuzz420]

Im plumbed in the bottom of the radiator. From what i gather im post t-stat and im measuring the water temp as its been cooled. I would have to move the sensor to the t-stat location temporarily to make sure im seeing the desired 176*. Its about to storm here ill see what needs to be done to move it in the next couple of days. Thanks for the info it is always appreciated

 

[Supracentral]

Yea, that's what you're seeing - you are measuring water at the coolest point in the system. With that said, a temp differential of nearly 50 degrees is pretty damned good. It means your rad is working properly.

That wouldn't be a bad gauge to keep in addition to the factory location. You could learn a lot about your cooling system by being able to see readings at both ends of the system.