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While surfing around the net & some of the Thunderbird Clubs web sites I came across this excellent write up about a simple install of a temperature gauge in our retro Birds. His write up begins by addressing the install in the Baby Birds and other model years and then brings in the Retro Birds. Seems easy to do.
Thanks Herb Tinger for this great write up.
By: Herb Tinger
Halfmoon, NY
If you own a classic Thunderbird there is a good chance you have experienced that uneasy feeling as you watch the needle on the temperature gauge move towards H while stuck in traffic or participating in a parade on a hot day. The early Thunderbirds have a reputation for running hot and many owners have spent money, sometimes unnecessarily, on 6-blade fans, electric fans, water pump baffles and larger core radiators to fix a problem that may not exist. We tend to rely on the temperature gauge even though those gauges are often inaccurate.
There is an easy and relatively inexpensive method to determine how hot your engine is running and to correlate the temperature with the temperature gauge reading. All you need is a digital thermometer with a probe on a piece of wire. Grainger’s sells a Taylor thermometer (model 9940) under part number 5XL18 for $27.25. This thermometer runs on one AAA battery and has a 10 foot lead, long enough to run from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment. The thermometer is small and could be mounted under the dash if you wanted actual temperature on a regular basis.
Connecting the thermometer to the cooling system is straightforward. First, run the probe through the firewall into the engine compartment via any one of the holes used for other wires or cables. Next insert the probe into the cooling system. Remove the upper radiator hose from the thermostat housing (after draining enough coolant). Insert the probe into the thermostat housing, bend the wire back towards the rear of the engine and reinstall the radiator hose. The wire is pretty thin so you should not leak any coolant, but as a precaution you may want to put some sealant along the wire before attaching the hose. An even easier method is to just tape the probe to the bottom of the inlet tube that leads to the top radiator tank. Now just run the engine and you will be able to tell what temperature corresponds to any temperature gauge needle position. A 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze boils at over 260 degrees F in a typical pressurized coolant system. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that while your temperature gauge reads hot, the actual coolant temperature is well below the boiling point.
If your temperature gauge calibration is far off it is possible to re-calibrate the gauge, but that procedure is for another time. It is also possible to wire the digital thermometer in place of the temperature sending unit. This will give you actual coolant temperature at the cylinder head but it will disconnect your temperature gauge. If anyone is interested in doing this, contact me directly for instructions. Although this article was written to address the classic Thunderbird, the procedure can be used on any automobile to verify coolant temperature.
Herb Tinger
Thanks Herb Tinger for this great write up.
By: Herb Tinger
Halfmoon, NY
If you own a classic Thunderbird there is a good chance you have experienced that uneasy feeling as you watch the needle on the temperature gauge move towards H while stuck in traffic or participating in a parade on a hot day. The early Thunderbirds have a reputation for running hot and many owners have spent money, sometimes unnecessarily, on 6-blade fans, electric fans, water pump baffles and larger core radiators to fix a problem that may not exist. We tend to rely on the temperature gauge even though those gauges are often inaccurate.
There is an easy and relatively inexpensive method to determine how hot your engine is running and to correlate the temperature with the temperature gauge reading. All you need is a digital thermometer with a probe on a piece of wire. Grainger’s sells a Taylor thermometer (model 9940) under part number 5XL18 for $27.25. This thermometer runs on one AAA battery and has a 10 foot lead, long enough to run from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment. The thermometer is small and could be mounted under the dash if you wanted actual temperature on a regular basis.
Connecting the thermometer to the cooling system is straightforward. First, run the probe through the firewall into the engine compartment via any one of the holes used for other wires or cables. Next insert the probe into the cooling system. Remove the upper radiator hose from the thermostat housing (after draining enough coolant). Insert the probe into the thermostat housing, bend the wire back towards the rear of the engine and reinstall the radiator hose. The wire is pretty thin so you should not leak any coolant, but as a precaution you may want to put some sealant along the wire before attaching the hose. An even easier method is to just tape the probe to the bottom of the inlet tube that leads to the top radiator tank. Now just run the engine and you will be able to tell what temperature corresponds to any temperature gauge needle position. A 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze boils at over 260 degrees F in a typical pressurized coolant system. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that while your temperature gauge reads hot, the actual coolant temperature is well below the boiling point.
If your temperature gauge calibration is far off it is possible to re-calibrate the gauge, but that procedure is for another time. It is also possible to wire the digital thermometer in place of the temperature sending unit. This will give you actual coolant temperature at the cylinder head but it will disconnect your temperature gauge. If anyone is interested in doing this, contact me directly for instructions. Although this article was written to address the classic Thunderbird, the procedure can be used on any automobile to verify coolant temperature.
Herb Tinger
Canadian Provinces, 8 European Countries, 3 Caribbean Countries, Countless National Parks and have attended well over 100 TBN Events since 2001 and counting. Best of all ... fabulous friends.
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