ford 2000 running hot

[Anonymous-0]

Question, I have a 1962 ford 2000 that tends to run hot. After running for about 15 minutes the temp gauge moves into the red- just across -doesn"t peg the high side. The radiator seems ok although I haven"t had it professionally tested, fins are clean. Water pump seems ok- no play. I tested the coolant temp in the radiator with engine running and gauge indicating hot , I got 170 degrees (granted that the radiator cap was off). Could this be just bad thermostat- I"m trying to find out which themostat I need 160/172/180 etc -I may have to pull out the old one to find out. Could the temp sensor be faulty- I was told by someone that faulty temp sensor would not give high reading? Any suggestions on best way to proceed?

 

[Keith Williams]

I would use a 160 (or 168) themostat. 170 is not hot IF you are getting water flow. Gauge could be out of wack. Where was it made?????
Doesn"t matter really.
Remember to check between the front screen with the FORD letters and the front of the radiator. Stuff builds up there and blocks the air flow.

Keith

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 17:39:35 08/30/10) Question, I have a 1962 ford 2000 that tends to run hot. After running for about 15 minutes the temp gauge moves into the red- just across -doesn"t peg the high side. The radiator seems ok although I haven"t had it professionally tested, fins are clean. Water pump seems ok- no play. I tested the coolant temp in the radiator with engine running and gauge indicating hot , I got 170 degrees (granted that the radiator cap was off). Could this be just bad thermostat- I"m trying to find out which themostat I need 160/172/180 etc -I may have to pull out the old one to find out. Could the temp sensor be faulty- I was told by someone that faulty temp sensor would not give high reading? Any suggestions on best way to proceed?

ince you measured 170 in radiator water, I'll go with bad sensor/gauge.

 

[john in la]

Sounds like you have a bad gauge.
I would pull the temp gauge off (give the wife the credit card so she will go shopping) and test it in a pot of water on the stove.

The termostat should start to open at 157 to 162 deg and be fully open at 177 to 182 deg so a 172 thermostat is about right.
The cap should be a 2 to 4 lb pressure cap.

 

[Sean in PA]

I think that John meant to take the thermostat off and put it in a pot of water on the stove, not the gauge.

 

[WA-Hal]

If the coolant at the top of the radiator is actually 170 degrees and obviously, if the coolant is moving through the system, I would bet that your gauge is faulty. I would try another one.

When the gauge reads "hot", does the engine seem really hot? I have never seen a thermostat fail by locking closed (mine always have quit closing), but I suppose it COULD happen. I would try removing the thermostat and see if it runs cooler. If the engine seems hot when the gauge reads way hot, you probably should not try to use it until you figure it out and fix the problem.

Has it ever boiled over? If it does not boil over with the radiator not pressurized (leave the cap loose before starting it), the tractor is probably working OK, other than the gauge. Good luck!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thanks for the replies to everyone. No it has never boiled over. I can't really tell how hot the engine gets- it feels hot but i'm not sure if it is overly hot.I am going to borrow a friends temp gun and measure the temp on the block- but I don't know exactly what temp it should be. The temp gauge never goes all the way down either- when it has been sitting overnight the needle is in the low end of the green- should it go all the way to "0" ? If the temp sender is faulty can this give high readings?

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 10:21:26 09/01/10) Thanks for the replies to everyone. No it has never boiled over. I can't really tell how hot the engine gets- it feels hot but i'm not sure if it is overly hot.I am going to borrow a friends temp gun and measure the temp on the block- but I don't know exactly what temp it should be. The temp gauge never goes all the way down either- when it has been sitting overnight the needle is in the low end of the green- should it go all the way to "0" ? If the temp sender is faulty can this give high readings?

f you don't just go out and immediately replace your temp sender/gauge, then just stick a different thermometer into the radiator coolant.........apparently at this point you trust neither the tractor gauge or the first thermometer you stuck in it. At least then you will have 2 out of 3 that may agree....then you can decide to replace one or see if you can talk it into submission.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thanks. I trust the thermometer used to test the radiator- don't trust the gauge. I am waiting on new one to get here. Just want to make sure I'm covering the bases. Trying to see if temp sender was bad or gauge- without fooling myself.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 11:06:04 09/01/10) Thanks. I trust the thermometer used to test the radiator- don't trust the gauge. I am waiting on new one to get here. Just want to make sure I'm covering the bases. Trying to see if temp sender was bad or gauge- without fooling myself.

on't know much of a way to isolate the gauge/sender. Test eqmt, substitution/etc.