Engine only warms up to 140

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by Snakebit

ERA FIA 302 Small block Ford stroked to 331 with Webers dual inlet manifold with Robert Shaw 180 inline thermostat. Test drive on Sunday temp guage only went up to 140. Partially blocked radiator with a piece of card board and it went up to 160. Running March street pulleys, not under drive. Any sugestions?

I can answer this one as I had ERA188 out on Sunday as well. While running in cooler temperatures, your radiator is so efficient at moving air through it that the water/coolant temperature is not getting above 140-160 degrees until you stop forward movement of the car. This time of the year it is quite common for the car to run colder than it normally will. As the ambient air temperature rises, so will your cars normal operating temperature. I could only get my 427 Sideoiler up to about 160, but when stopped for traffic, had no problem watching the temp gauge rise to 180-190, this also let me check to see if the electric fan was kicking in automatically (which it does like clockwork). Wait for a day where the temperature is above 75 degrees (maybe a little humid to boot) and I am sure you will see your temperature gauge back to 180 degrees most of the time. Had my pyrometer with me and took shots at the radiator, upper hose, lower hose, and engine block, all within normal specs........So relax for now and enjoy the drive, nothing wrong with your car.........


Bill S.