Coolant temp and gauge calibration

[alrock]

Engine was running at 216 degrees yesterday (109 out, on the highway in city) and stayed steady at this point for 20+ minutes, mostly flat grade. Here's where 216 is on my temp gauge. I believe they recalibrated the gauge clusters at some point to show lower on the gauge for the same temperature.

Anyone know how this temp/gauge reading relates to their truck?

 

[08H3]

Not off the top of my head, but I'm going to go goof around on the trails this afternoon. I'll compare SG temp to the cluster for you.

 

[shawndondo]

My 3 sits at the same point on the gauge. Just above the 3rd line is about 222 on mine. I mainly use my scan guage to monitor the temp. I would love to find a way to recalibrate it. Does anyone have the secret....?

 

[Sethmark]

Yeah, actually. I left my scan tool hooked up one day and it was HOT. It was reading 212 at the exact same point. I remember thinking that that was a lot of gauge movement for only a few degrees. 08 alpha.

 

[Firesquirt]

I have been watching my gauge and comparing with the ScanGauge II I got earlier this month. I thought to my self the other day that it seems to me that from drive to drive there seems to be a small variance between gauge position and the temp reading from the ScanGauge II. i.e.. one day 215 will be at the top of the thermometer and on another day that same spot is is 210.

 

[DJinCO]

BTW, you need some fuel.

 

[Mr_Rich]

Phew. My GF wants to go to Sedona. I think we'll have to wait until late fall. One nice thing about a 3T is the 28 gallon tank. It gives me a lot of range, but I fill up before it gets below a quarter tank.

 

[alrock]

BTW, you need some fuel.

Took care of that four miles later

Phew. My GF wants to go to Sedona. I think we'll have to wait until late fall. One nice thing about a 3T is the 28 gallon tank. It gives me a lot of range, but I fill up before it gets below a quarter tank.

It's starting to get a bit hot in Sedona, or at least too hot to make it really enjoyable. Sedona should be enjoyed with walking, hiking, windows-down wheeling. Waiting until fall is a good idea.

 

[08H3]

190 degrees was the hottest I got today and that was dead center on the gauge.

 

[digglesworth]

My gauge is always halfway between 1/4 and 1/2... 1/4 in the early spring with temps in the 50s and 60s and recently going up between 1/4 and 1/2 with temps getting up in the 70s and 80s... Never hooked a gauge up to it though so I guess the gauges are purely for "reference"....

 

[alrock]

My gauge is always halfway between 1/4 and 1/2... 1/4 in the early spring with temps in the 50s and 60s and recently going up between 1/4 and 1/2 with temps getting up in the 70s and 80s... Never hooked a gauge up to it though so I guess the gauges are purely for "reference"....

Dig, that sounds unusual to me. Usually the gauge stays very close to 1/2 even in cold weather as this engine is supposed to run a bit hot. The only time I ran below consistently below one half, including in cold weather, was when I had a bad thermostat.

 

[H3tow]

I have found a lot of threads on this issue since I purchased my h3. The day I drove it home, the gauge made me a little nervous being near the 3/4 mark. (I think we are programmed as humans to want it to be in the middle, all other gauges are). After replacing cracked radiator, and of course hoses belt and thermostat, the gauge still rode there. Found a good use for the lemur obd2 Bluetooth, the highest it would read was 210, jumping to around 215 when I cut it off and let it sit, crank back up, it quickly falls. Changed radiator cap today, just cause I was in the parts store and it was all I had not replaced. All day long, steady 207...92 degrees here in sc with a "real feel" of 105! Traffic, stop lights, high speed and low. Gauge now sits steady and slightly above 1/2, and with no movement up and down. Just food for thought here, 12 bucks has made me a happy man today. I melted a z3 motor in a matter of seconds due to a poorly designed Oem gauge that jumped from middle to pegged like you had thumped the needle oh well , live and learn.....