What's your trucks temp?

[junior9102]

I have a 95 f250 7.3
So far we have changed waterpump, thermostat(205), has plenty of antifreeze.
Truck runs great but in this Texas 106degree heat truck is running at the "L" in normal, I shot the temp sender and it said 220, top hose 189, heads read 206.
Is this normal? Is gauge messed up.

Please bare with me as this is my first diesel truck and I'm very green to all of this.

If it makes any difference truck has 274k miles

[JSchuricht]

That doesn't sound too bad but I'm not sure where you got a 205° thermostat. IIRC, the 94-95's had a different water pump and a 203° with a 195° being introduced in 1996. Aftermarket ones were 203° from Dieselsite and 180° from TE.

The factory gauge is just a glorified idiot light. Your running at L and not all that hot, I think it's just the gauge that's screwed. Start looking for a broken or shorted wire, not sure which way will cause it to peg on L.

Don't have a good gauge in my 95, but my 00 will run about 190-200 cruising empty in this heat and jump to 200-220 in traffic. That's measured off a small line that feeds my coolant filter and using a 203° thermostat. I am thinking of trying at 180° when I do my next flush, not sure if they make one for the old style pumps but Joey at TE would know.

[junior9102]

I just picked it up at oreillys, the thermostat housing gets upto 240-250, what other issues could be making it run so hot? Next thing to change is fan clutch or go back to its a head gasket.

[JSchuricht]

250° is way too hot. I would pull the radiator and have it checked for flow, it might be clogged up especially if your old pump's impeller broke and sent pieces downstream.

[BigFuel]

Did you do the swap because it was running hot or is it running hot after you did the swap? When you changed the fluids did you go to a shop that can put the system under vacuum or in your yard? You didn't say if your truck is 4x4 or 4x2 (talking about truck rake) but I know that with my 4x2 I have to lift the front of my truck a couple feet to force all the air out of the heads, engine running. Air trapped in the heads will cause overheating and eventually a blown head gasket.

[junior9102]

did the swap because it was getting hot, the pump had play at shaft so decided to put new waterpump and thermostat and thermostat filler neck since it was pitted real bad. truck would also build a lot of pressure in upper hose and reservoir. if it makes any difference, it is a 95 but has the newer cooling system. i also found that the truck had nothing but water in system so im sure it was boiling.

after pump and thermostat and antifreeze the pressure has dropped, but now is still running warm.

i did the work in driveway and its a 4x2 and i did not lift front end or anything like that, just pulled upper hose off and filled reservoir to try and bleed.

[junior9102]

Ok, added a autometer sport comp water gauge, after some highway driving and street driving truck gauge shows "m" and autometer gauge shows 230 degrees, I get 189 on top hose 228 on filler neck and 205 on stock gauge sender and 190 on autometer sender.

I did swap thermostat for a Motorsport ford one 203,


How do these numbers sound?

Did do a block test and it passed.