Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Going to install a aftermarket water temp gauge soon it rarely gets hot on the factory gauge , but sometimes creeps up abit when giving it a hard time in the heat and I'd like a more accurate reading.So seeing I'll have a gauge I should know how to read it, what would be the normal running temp range for a tb42 carby and what would be considered getting hot.

Thanks

It's not the heat so much as boiling, when the cooling system looses control that is the concern, when this occurs you get localised hot spots that lead to erratic expansion, cracking and gasket failure. Most people panic at 100 degrees but in reality in a pressurised cooling system with a 50% glycol mix boiling will not occur until much higher, as high as 116 degrees, most late model vehicles don't switch on the cooling fans untill 100 degrees as the engine returns better economy and emissions at this temp, although max power is usually lower around 92-95 degrees. The thermostat is typically designed to open around 92 degrees. At the end of the day, the cooling system when working correctly should remain in control under all circumstances, running hot as practial on light throttle and cruise while not boiling under high load.

Joel

Thanks for the feedback joel, I picked up a new radiator cap and thermostat from Nissan and I'll put some new coolant in like what you mentioned and see how it goes as it doesn't get over about 3/4 on the factory gauge at it's worst and sits at just under 1/2 most the time just abit paranoid about cracking the head when it gets hot, Might not worrie about the gauge at the moment as a decent one isn't cheap.

Cheers

I like to know whats going on with my engines, so i fit the following in addition to the factory guages.

1). A low coolant alarm from www.enginesaver.com.au

2). An Engine Watchdog TM2 Digital Temperature Guage and Alarm from http://www.sig.itel.net/

The combination of both of these have saved 2 engines now, one from a pin hole in a heated manifold hose under the inlet manifold on my TB42, and the other from a hole in a radiator also.

What did you hook the watchdog up to, can you get them in the cooling system to read water temp.

I'd be interested to know what standard running temp is too. Also the stock gauge is CRAP! My patrol has started boiling at 1/4 on the gauge and at 3/4. Don't trust that gauge.

The Watchdog i decided to place in the most vulnerable place i knew of on a TB42, the head.

Its designed to be used where the vehicle owner does not want to "break" into the original cooling system. That was what appealed to me.