Another Water Temp ?

Alright I have now installed 180 t stat, changed the fan to stop hotting radiator by going to a 14 in fan , backed flushed radiator first. All back together and took it for a 1 hr drive in stop and go traffic in weather warm enough for shorts and t-shirt with out getting cold, maybe drove at speed of 50mph for short bursts, saw temp get to 200 is this still to warm have not tried at freeway speed yet.

 

mine will run that hot in stop/go traffic, in the summer. how long did it take to come down?

How full is the rad as well?

 

The temp would come down slowly when i got up speed, I do have the original shrould on it , the radiator does sit up to clear the saginaw steering upgrade. The radiator was full, and the well was at the cold level as always

 

sounds like i need to find a way to relocate the radiator but the jeep is close to stock so do not want to change the grill, maybe need to get custom radiator.

 

The bottom side of the radiator on the drivers side is only .5 inch abov the steering shaft were it comes threw the front crossmember to the saginaw box at the front of the frame. will try to get som pics. this afternoon.

 

200 isn't that hot, i would have expected mine to run at that temp

 

I went back and read your previous thread and note that you said the new T-stat opened up at about 180* when idling in the garage and then you shut it down because you did'nt have a fan mounted on the engine yet...did this 180* reading come off the dash gauge or did you stick a thermometer in the radiater fill neck? Just wondering if the dash gauge has been checked for calibration. I got differant readings on my dash gauge depending where I had the sensor installed on the engine , is the sensor installed at the original location on your engine? Also water boils at 212* F at sealevel , for every 1# increase in pressure the boiling point is raised by 3*F. So for example if you run a 7# rad cap the boiling point would increased. 7# x 3*F =21*F then 212*+21*=233*F before boil over. A mixture with anti-freeze and water should even give a little more margin. I agree that 200*F would be the upper limit of my comfort level too. Definately good that you addressed the fan size and spacing issue , but I cant help wondering if you are truely running that hot. Sure would be nice to verify before you set out to change the rad location.

 

I have a aftermarket degree gauge that got to 180 deg, I then checked the outlet of the engine and had hot colant were it was previosly cold, when i filled the system after back flush i left the cap off and filled as needed with motor running , again could tell by steam that t stat had opened. It does have a 13 pound radador cap is this ok:?

 

13-16 lb range is okay for the cap
have you tested it and know that it is good (holds pressure) ?

 

i recommend getting one of the those infrared temp gauges. might be surprised at your real temp. found my gauge reads 30* hot with it.

 

Yep ,as mentioned 13-16 lbs. is fine for cap pressure.I lowered my pressure to a 7 lbs. cap just to reduce the pressure stress on the whole cooling system.I have a 180*F T-stat and have run my Jeep hard and long at the sand dunes(Sliver Lk. Mi.) and never got above 200*F. The rad , water pump and fan are all stock 225 equipment.You could remove the temp sesnor from the engine and suspend it in a coffee can or simular container filled with water. Heat the water up with a portable electric hot plate or other heat source , also have a second thermometer of trusted accuracy in the container to compare the dash gauge sensor to. Heat it up to the range of 180*F or so and compare the readings. It is important that the sesnor and thermometer are suspended in the heated water and not touching the bottom or sides of the container. My after market sensor was to big to mount at most places on my engine so I ended up installing it at the right rear end of the intake manifold ( I dont have a heater so no hose connection was needed at that location ).My gauge was checked for accuracy in the manner I described to you and it checked out okay , but with the sensor installed at that location the dash gauge shows a few degrees lower than the actual temp of the water tested at the rad fill neck. Be carfull if you remove the rad cap while the engine is hot , if the actual fluid temp is at or above 212*F the fluid could flash to steam when the pressure is reduced by removing the rad cap.

 

Thanks guys going to get the infared gun from work on Mon. and some others here have mentioned the radiator cap with thermostat mounted in it, probably try one of those, headed to the dessert on the 14th will see what happens there, it will be my first time with my ECJ offroad. R)

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93984

 

I think I would just drive it
200* is not overheating in my book by any means
something to watch of course