LUVTruck.com

Alright im starting to notice my 80 is getting a bit hot (the 1.8L). In the stock temp gague there is a notch in the white band that runs acrost it, is that where the needle should be for standar opperating. And also if anyone has after makes temps for it what do they run at? Mine that i have in the intake has been around 190*, does this sound about right?

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1980 LUV 4x4, going under re-construction...

Hey MEPR,
That sounds bout right, Mine runs round 180-190 depending on how hard Im running. I invested in a oil temp gauge to be sure of the temp. I noticed every year when the weather would change from cold to hot that the temp would read a little warmer for awhile then settle down. I saw on the news that your neck of the woods is getting pretty wet and cold so I don't know if that would help...

Dave

It could be a number of things like a loose fan belt, Low coolant, Radiator is plugging up(inside or outside), radiator cap going bad, water pump failing, thermostat sticking, ignition timing, ect. Is there bubbles showing up with the radiator cap removed and the engine up to tempurature? Is there an oily film building up under the radiator cap? If so, you may have a bad head gasket. To check for a plugged up radiator, remove the lower hose. Fill the radiator while holding your hand over the opening. Remove your hand and watch the flow of water drain from the radiator. It should pour out heavily and finish abruptly. If it starts out heavy and the flow reduces and takes a little while to fully drain, thats a good sign that its plugged up. If you go thru your cooling system and you feel sure that its up to par, you might look for an air leak in your intake system. A lean condition will also cause overheating. If your truck is just mildly running too hot, try focusing on the simple things like belt tension, bad cap and see if the lower radiator hose is trying to collapse. That would restrict flow.

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

yeah everthing is in good working order, i was just wondering becouse my truck when in trafic will get to 190*, and also my radiator has some mud in the bottom half so opnce i get that washed out it should be back to running at 185*. Thanks guys.

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1980 LUV 4x4, going under re-construction...

I was able to pick up an almost new radiator for an almost nothing price... but I'm not sure about the cap. It has a 16 lbs. cap on it... isn't that a bit high for these LUVs and create a vacuum? I've learned that adding a resevior tank is a bad bad idea. Once I replaced the radiator, the stock temp gauge went back to operating temp of that "little notch in the white line" temp.... a little warmer when I'm pullin' a hill.