Engine cooling

[jseth83]

I like the idea of having a separate water temp gauge with numbers....we added a second one on our TBird under the dash so we'd have a better idea of the exact temperature.  Also always be sure that the upper radiator hose doesn't hump up above the level of the radiator cap; otherwise you can get an air bubble in it even when the radiator looks like it's full.  That can make the temp shoot up really quickly.

[Ford Blue blood]

I use the heat gun to verify what the actual temperature is with respect were the gauge is reading.  Once you establish were "normal" is it is easy to keep track of.  Unless you purchase a mid - high end mechanical gauge the electrics out there are subject to the same "electrical" glitches as the stock gauge, ie, grounds, connection corrosion, voltage source, etc.

Best example I can offer is my 66Falcon Ranchero with a 302 EFI engine.  The stock engine (200) ran with the temp gauge on the low end of the normal line.  The 302 ran on the very high end of the normal.  The sender from the 200 was put in the 302.  Got a heat gun and measured the temps as I thought I was running hot.  The 200 had a 180 t-stat, the 302 had a 195 t-stat.  Turns out the temperature was dead on, it was just the range of the temp gauge was very sensitive in the "normal" range.

My take on temps is "If it ain't losing water it's not hot"!  Just like to know where it is.