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running temp

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
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In the whole 30 days I've owned my 76, the temp has never quite reached N; always stays about 1/4 inch to the cold side, even after 30 mins at 65mph.

(I should say I guess it was 65mph, as the speedo needs a bit of tweaking or bludgeoning so I'm estimating speed by multiplying the tach times 18.)


Park the car after a run, and it *might* move up to N. No mods - still using the pock-marked old yellow fanblade for cooling.

Does this temperature range sound ok or common to you experienced folks?

Engine runs great btw. I've been playing with the B when I'm not driving it (hurricane Frances's New England spinoff gave me a week of non-driving time). If anyone's interested, I can post some pics of the progress.

Tom
 
From the sound of it a previous owner might well have removed the thermostat......a car will tend to run cooler if it has been romoved. Temperature should be right around the "normal". Some pictures of "playtime" with your car would be nice.
 
I have the exact same problem.
My B always runs about 1/2 way between Cold and warm
After my lucky car had its headjob, it seems to always stay pretty COOL! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
But if i just leave it idling stationary for about 5-10 mins, then the temp will rise to Normal and above.
I'm guessing its not a serious problem
... i hope!
 
Since fall is coming now is a good time to flush the system, add new coolant and replace the thermostat. If it stills runs cold then it is most likely the gauge.
 
The guy that I bought my 74½ from said that it never got to the N mark and he was right. It's only gone above N once for me - and that was in a mid-day, summer traffic jam on the interstate (and goosing it up to a quick idle fixed it immediately).
 
That N is just a reference point. The entire arc between the white mark at C, and the white mark at H is considered the normal range. You can always replace the gauge with an earlier one, which had honest to god numbers on it. My Midget usually runs about 1/4" shy of the N, but in actuality is running about 185 to 195. I can live with that.
You can always immerse the temperature bulb in boiling water, using a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature, figure out the gauge position that corresponds to that, and put a mark at that point.
Your temp will rise at a standing idle due to lack of air flow through the radiator. The same reason it will rise after shutdown, as it heat soaks.
Jeff
 
well.... compared to what everyone else is saying, my 'B seems to be running a little on the "hot" side. My temp guage sits anywhere between just past to 1/8" to the right of the N. Of course, I think the environment you drive in has every bit to do with the operating temp on these cars... I have a 160 F thermostat installed and on hot days (SoCal Los Angeles area typically upper 90's to 100F) my operating temp goes up to what I described above... On cooler days my temp will get up to N and not budge. I normally drive surface streets that's stop and go in parts and up to 1/2 stretches of stop free motoring.

I've noticed that when it does start getting "hot" from the stop and go, the 1/2 mile stretches are enough to bring the temp back down to the middle of the N or really close to it.

Seeing the temp go up that high kind of worries me at times, and makes me want to change out the stock belt driven fan for an electric, or fabricate some sort of shroud...
 
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