New thermostat & coolant temperature reading

Hey Guys,

I installed a brand new thermostat with new coolant on my GQ RB30.

Below are the readings from the aftermarket gauge & the stock gauge dial on the dash.

I'm wondering whether this looks ok.
Coolant hoses get hot to the point they are too hot to touch and hold by hand.
LPG converter also gets pretty hot that it's also not possible to keep my hand on it.

Does that look normal or is it getting too hot?

I'm happy with the reading on the aftermarket gauge reading, but wondering whether it's getting too hot now 'cos I can't touch the coolant hoses?!!

Stock temperature sender is on the water hose flange near the cylinder head(hose from the top of the radiator).

Aftermarket sender is on the coolant hose at the back of the engine block where the coolant hose exits to take coolant to the heater & LPG converter.

Engine's generally sounds "happier" on petrol(I'm yet to test it on LPG as I seem to have an LPG converter issue).

Is the thermostat in the right way, and did you test it before fitting it.??
I wouldnt put much faith in the OE gauge

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Originally Posted by threedogs

Is the thermostat in the right way, and did you test it before fitting it.??
I wouldnt put much faith in the OE gauge

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Yes, I bench tested it. It opened(started opening) at around 80 degrees(from memory)
You can't fit the thermostat the wrong way, but it has high pressure/overheating valve that may need to balance properly for it to work with some thermostat housings. Typical RB30 aluminium thermostat housing demands the thermostat be aligned properly with a space on the thermostat housing for that valve to not get jammed. It's not used under normal circumstances(only when the engine overheats or coolant pressure goes up too high the valve get pushed open to let the coolant pass(usually caused by thermostat being stuck closed or freezing expanding coolant inside the engine block).

My dash gauge reads about the same, my temps normally between 82-84c from memory, I'd have to look at the aftermarket gauge to be sure but around there. Pretty sure that's what the stock gauge temps are too. I got mine up to 86ish the other day, hottest I've ever had it. It was 30c, offroad giving it hell up hill for about ten minutes straight. Then fan whooped up and brought it back down pretty quick, not that I'd consider 86c high, anyway. Mine aftermarket sender is on the top rad hose. Hoses are generally too hot to touch for very long, can grab them quickly but for less than a second generally. I'd say your temps are fine from what I'm seeing there, though I have no experience with that location of aftermarket sender.

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Originally Posted by Throbbinhood

My dash gauge reads about the same, my temps normally between 82-84c from memory, I'd have to look at the aftermarket gauge to be sure but around there. Pretty sure that's what the stock gauge temps are too. I got mine up to 86ish the other day, hottest I've ever had it. It was 30c, offroad giving it hell up hill for about ten minutes straight. Then fan whooped up and brought it back down pretty quick, not that I'd consider 86c high, anyway. Mine aftermarket sender is on the top rad hose. Hoses are generally too hot to touch for very long, can grab them quickly but for less than a second generally. I'd say your temps are fine from what I'm seeing there, though I have no experience with that location of aftermarket sender.

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Thanx mate.
That confirms it. The engine is much happier now both on LPG and petrol. I just have to stick with 98RON to get the proper timing curve for petrol.
Idling temperature shows 82ish now, which is the way it should be obviously.
Many of my complains about fuel economy & performance was related to engine running "too cold" due to thermostat not working properly.
I was bit concerned 'cos I've never experienced the dial going that high(even though I expected it after new thermostat) and the hoses and converter being "too hot".
It makes sense, if the temperature is 82-84, then touching something with a thing wall that carries that hot water ain't gonna be easy. :)
All good.
I'm onto the AFR gauge, muffler replacement & fixing the CV oil leak.
Work never ends with this old troll. :D

Just in time for winter too mate, you'll enjoy the extra warmth in the heater come those cooler days.

Oh yeah, I meant to ask, your AFR gauge I guess for tuning the rich/lean on idle fuel mixture screw?

A good rule of thumb is 50C is too hot to touch.
Graham

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Throbbinhood

Just in time for winter too mate, you'll enjoy the extra warmth in the heater come those cooler days.

Oh yeah, I meant to ask, your AFR gauge I guess for tuning the rich/lean on idle fuel mixture screw?

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Yes, it's for fine tuning the fuel mixture, but it turns out, the one I got needs resetting when switching from petrol to LPG, which is not that of a big deal, as it won't need switching between petrol and LPG on regular basis. I still haven't finished installing it, I'm on to it now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Throbbinhood

Just in time for winter too mate, you'll enjoy the extra warmth in the heater come those cooler days.

Oh yeah, I meant to ask, your AFR gauge I guess for tuning the rich/lean on idle fuel mixture screw?

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Heater was still running ok with the previous "cool" running thermostat through. The "cockpit" got warm within few minutes, but the engine was probably suffering slowly 'cos it has never got to the normal operating temperature.