just put a combo gauge set on my GS, with a 13b in it and a Holley 600. the temp's are like 250+ when its fully warmed up...

i know these cars run hot, but this hot? my supra is also a hot-runner and its about 190-220 fully warm.

i searched but seems like most people go by "if the stock gauge is over half way...." etc etc. well my stock gauge isnt wired up because of the engine swap, not really sure where to wire it into the GS front harness.

here's a pic of the combo gauge (note the oil sender wasnt wired up at the time hence why it was pinned, hehe)

thanks!

- Murray

 

That does seem rather hot. What type and temp is the t-stat? I have seen many posts claiming cheaper brands of t-stats can actually cause these to run hotter than they should.

 

i hope thats not ferenheit!!! omg! my car never gets above 175F yeah what i would do if i was you is take the thermostat out, then take the bottom hose off of ur radiator, take the garden hose and run constant water through it, and see how hot it runs, maybe your coolant passages are clogged

 

I sent you a pm.

I can't read what the gauge say (pic is blurry). What is the range on that temp gauge? 250 is way too hot. I would expect the temps to be in the 180-200 range depending on t-stat value, load, outside temp. Does it peg the gauge? Maybe it is an electrical issue. Usually the gauges only go up to around 250.

 

not sure, had the same thermostat for awhile, altho it was said to be replaced just before i bought the car, so it cant be much older than a year. i'll pickup a new t-stat and cap this weekend and see how she goes...

still wondering what temp these engines should run at though.

 

250 degrees farenheit? That gauge is not reading accurately or your engine should be dead.

 

They *should* run about the same temp range as the t-stat, or within a few degrees thereof. Or in other words, about like any other engine.
Can you get an infared temp sensor? those are the best way to really know what temp the block is, and if there are any "Hot spots".

 

gauge goes up to 280, the car wasnt running in that pic.

it could also very well be a electrical issue since this car does have a evil gremlin somewhere.

it seems to run fine even with the temp way up high, so i'm really not sure.. i just put fresh coolant/water in it, too

 

The gauge probably goes that high because it is a general purpose gauge (oil temp, coolant temp, etc.). Is the gauge electric or mechanical? Where did you locate the sender? If is is electric, maybe it is a bad ground between the engine and the chassis. I think the gauge you have is mechanical, but I am not sure (he got one of those 3 gauge setups from NAPA).

 

electric, the sender from the back of the gauge is going directly to the engine block.

you know.... i blocked off the coolant lines for the EFI that go to the rear rotor housing, i dont think it would make a huge difference but it may be effecting it.

i posted about this a few days ago

ohh, and i put on a brand spankin' new ground wire from the battery itself, today. grinded off the paint with a new bolt and all, it should be grounded well, but the voltage readings i get in my car are still pretty low.

 

here's the thread of what i mean..
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/what-these-440318/

 

Yeah, I saw that thread. It shouldn't cause problems. It does allow recirc when the T-stat is closed. I would go ahead and connect them together. Hopefully the gauge is just wrong. He said in a pm that he put it in the stock location. If the t-stat was stuck close, then you may get real high temps like that. Go ahead and swap t-stats and cap. Hope you find the problem.

Kent

 

thats coolant, connect those hoses immediatley!! make it like a closed loop

 

Next time that the car is running hot like that, just take a regular old kitchen (meat) thermometer and stick it between the vanes of the radiator. Just as a way to judge how accurate your new gauge is. That's where I'd start anyway.... Good luck.

 

im starting to think its electrical since when that pic was taken it wasnt more than a half hour after id shut down the engine and the pic only shows it at about 170 degrees... i went back out and checked a few hours ago and it had dropped a bit more down to 120 or so.

kind of weird it would show hot temps while running and show regular when not. o'well. i'll figure it out this weekend and make sure.

 

ya. i might just buy one of those infrared temp sensors, i know it'll be a useful tool but they cost like 90 bux, so i'll be trying other things first. haha

thanks for the help guys!

- Murray

 

Getting this back into the mix... Where to shoot an ir temp gun? Are those temps of the coolenat or the block. Hate this overheating issue. Its the only thing between me and rx heaven.

 

well, what the stink, Kent told me to try putting the stock 12a harness on there to get a reading to the stock gauges and the temp is only at like 1/4 of the way up, gonna take the car for a spin now and warm it up to be sure...

 

ya, must have been a faulty gauge, pheww! after hooking up the stock harness and driving for a half hour extremely hard the max temp i hit wasnt even half way, most of the time it was down just above the second bar. this pic was taken when the car had been idling for 5 minutes or so once i had gotten home...

damn cheap gauges!