Temperature Gauge

[Jetsetter]

I have a 97 GT with 213K miles. The dilemma I'm having is that while installing my white faced gauges I took the needles off and subsequently guestimated their positions when putting them back on. This is fine for most of my gauges, but I'm having some play with the temperature gauge. Sometimes it will sit left of center, sometimes center, and then sometimes right. The right is what concerns me. I realize our stock gauges are, for lack of a better term, crap, but I'm not sure what I'm actually supposed to be expecting. I have a 160 degree thermostat, but that is it as far as cooling mods go. So what temperature should I be expecting? Did I put the needle in the wrong place? Am I actually running a little hot?

For the record, I hooked up our Snap-on Modis scanner and the computer is reading 207 degrees while sitting after the car has been driven.

 

[Outlaw97GT]

207 is kinda high. With a 160 t-stat you shouldnt be over 170ish.
Did you get your fans to kick on at a lower temp by tune or handheld? If not you might be safer running the stock 195.

 

[Jetsetter]

My fans are stock speed. That is the only cooling modification I have. The next step is going to be flushing the radiator which I'll do at work, but I don't have any extra money to throw at this right now after that.

 

[Outlaw97GT]

You might want to change it back to a 195(stock) t-stat. Your fans are coming on to late and the water wont cool fast enough to close the t-stat. It would be open all the time in return the water wont stay in the radiator long enough to cool down.

 

[Jetsetter]

Will a fan controller fix my problem?

 

[Outlaw97GT]

Not sure... I know a handheld tuner will.

 

[Jetsetter]

Damn it. I have an X-Cal 3 but I was saving it for my V6. I'll consider it using it...

 

[Outlaw97GT]

LOL...looks like the GT was ment to have the tuner.

 

[Jetsetter]

So an update to this is that I threw all I could at it for the track day. I topped off my coolant, added Water Wetter, removed the black insulation from under the hood, and set the fans to come on at 170 and 180 high. The gauge ran N to O, only occasionally going to the center after back to back runs. I'm very happy.

 

[greenscobie86]

Awesome thread! I am having the same exact problem with my 96... And I wasnt sure weather or not a handheld was going to solve my "running hot" problem.

So I guess its XCAL3 time! Seeing how I already have brand new coolant/radiator/fan/180deg thermostat. That would be my last step.