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  • Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

    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
    Mike

    sigpic

  • #2
    Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

    Hi steelblue5505
    Great article - well written.
    I'm a new owner. Has overheating been a problem on our 'Retro's'? Is this something I should be concerned with? Do we use a MIX or do we use 100% coolant?
    INTEGRITY:
    If you have it, nothing else matters!
    If you don't have it, nothing else matters!

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    • #3
      Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

      It is good to install a gauge in place of idiot lights, but our Birds have a gauge. Although it is not graded, it is quite accurate and all that is necessary. The needle should sit in the middle. If it starts moving towards the H, then something is wrong. A gauge is superfluous.

      And, NO, overheating is not an ongoing problem, but it does happen when the thermostat stops working properly or the cooling system needs burping.
      Unbelivable TBN trips including ALL of the lower 48 States plus 9 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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      • #4
        Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

        Dick,

        Just to answer the last part of that question and add to David's comments coolant (anti-freeze) is always a 50/50 mixture and can be purchased pre-mixed.

        You should never run your car on straight water or 100% anti-freeze.

        I have found with my 1964 Thunderbird that if it starts to over heat it is usually a sign that the radiator cap needs to be replaced since it is not holding pressure causing a boil over.

        Drive it like you stole it !!!



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        • #5
          Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

          Interesting discussion. As a teenager I had begun to think over-heating was normal, at least with Ford's.but for the pat 30+ years I have never had a Ford overheat. Iknow the Baby birds were bad about it but can't imaginr todays overheating unless a problem with the cooling system. I live in Fl and am amaized at how my tepmp. guages seemed to be stuck in the middle

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          • #6
            Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

            Also, our Birds use a new type of coolant. DO NOT USE THE NORMAL STORE BOUGHT COOLANT, it will destroy your system.
            Unbelivable TBN trips including ALL of the lower 48 States plus 9 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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            • #7
              Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

              David,

              My daughter just had a thermostat replaced on her '05 at the Ford Dealer. Do you think that they used the new anti-freeze,or should that be a concern?

              Thanks
              sigpic

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              • #8
                Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

                Ron, Guess I missed something but what is the New Antifreeze. I had my thermostat replaced at my Ford dealer in the past year and they put in new antifreeze but I have no idea what they used.
                They are Here. Scotty, beam me up!
                IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE
                Visit the TBN Store

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                • #9
                  Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

                  Believe it has to do with the aluminum blocks instead of cast iron. At least that is what I remember reading on the bottle labels.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

                    Spence,I guess we'll have to wait until David replies.
                    sigpic

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                    • #11
                      Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

                      ...I'm interpreting new anti-freeze as the orange coolant that some later vehicles have....my '02 runs green....you don't want change orange for green or vice versa....apparently.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

                        I would take a wild guess on this and say a Ford dealer would put the proper antifreeze in one of the cars they worked on.
                        They are Here. Scotty, beam me up!
                        IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE
                        Visit the TBN Store

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

                          You would know by now if they put in the wrong kind. The two don't mix and will turn to gel. It is also very difficult to get out of the engine once it's in there.
                          Don't go out and buy anti-freeze just by the color. Almost all of the manufacturers are using the new life-time coolants and they all use different colors.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

                            If your not overheating, your just not driving hard enough .........

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                            • #15
                              Re: Temperature Gauge-Coolant Temp.

                              DavidA is correct. The ONLY readily available coolant that meets Ford specifications for our Thunderbirds is Ford's coolant -- in my case it's the gold (yellow) colored coolant. Costs about the same as other coolants. I researched this issue recently and found there was one after-market coolant that met Ford's specifications but I couldn't find it. And don't rely on auto parts store employees' assertions that a coolant meets Ford's specifications. That may be true, but not for the Thunderbird.

                              Use of non-Ford-spec coolant will lead to "cavitation" within the cooling system. Basically this means the the interior passages of the aluminum block are slowly eaten away.

                              Read the owner's manual and the pertinent part of the shop manual. The warnings are in bold type and are to be taken seriously.

                              By the way, I NEVER reuse drained coolant. It's just too risky, and coolant is relatively cheap. I also use distilled water to make the 50/50 mix.

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