yurizx6r

Hey guys, simple question... how reliable are the stock gauges on a foxbody? I am particularly interested in the reliability and validity of the coolant temperature gauge. Can I trust that it's reading accurately? I realize that there are a few different forum post about this, but I've recently swapped a few things on my car and I just want to make sure that it's accurate enough to let me know that the car is not running too hot. Is there also an accurate estimation about what each letter means in the N-O-R-M-A-L in degrees?

dawson1112

Readings in the normal range are ok.

As for being acurate, maybe with in 20 degrees who knows for sure. They are not meant to be acurate. People will drive them selfs nuts trying to determine if there engine is over heating by reading that stock gauge. If you truely must know exactly what your temp is then get an autometer gauge.

Dependable, I would say yes other wise ford would have stopped using that style along time ago.

mjr46

I'd prefer to know numbers not letters......get my point

yurizx6r

I agree with both of you that getting an aftermarket gauge is a good idea. I like to know numbers too!!! The reason why I ask is because my buddy is building a 91 Eagle Talon (DSM) with a tuning system called "DSM Link." His stock gauge is telling him that there is no problems, but DSM Link (which is very accurate and a very good system) will activate the check engine light on when your car reaches a certain temperature that you set. His check engine light keeps coming on when he hits boost and the car reaches 229 degrees while the stock gauge is saying it's under. He would not know there is a problem if he didn't have DSM Link, so I was wondering about my/our setup. I'm going to get an aftermarket gauge, but I was still curious as to is it accurate and reliable enough to let me know that the car is not running so hot that any damage could or is taking place.

yurizx6r

I had in Roayl Purple's "Purple Ice" in it which I do NOT reccomend because it made the needle bob up and down. Recently along with a bunch of other stuff I just did a total coolant change with a straight 50/50 mix, a Fluidyne radiator, Ford Racing water pump, heater core and bar delete, deleted the coolant lines to the throttle body, and swapped the thermostat to the stock 195 degree setting (I don't know what was in there). So my needle is pretty stable, but it's at the top of the "A" in NORMAL. It should be fine, but it came up from the middle of the "A".... but now it does not dance anymore.

88 orangepeel notch

Like I said in your other thread, just measure the temp at the thermostat housing with an infrared thermometer when your at "A" on your gauge. Then you'll know exactly where you are. Easy Peasy, good luck and let us know how far off it is.

yurizx6r

What other thread? lol Either way, yeah that's a good idea! I'll do some random checks and see how accurate it is. I did the math on it, and according to theory it's probably not accurate. What do I base this off of? Ok, so in THEORY the top number is 270 and the bottom is 130. There are 6 steps/bars to get from 130 to 270. 270-140=130. 130/6=21.6666....... so the average temperature between each bar/step is 21.66 degrees in temperature. So since my in currently resting on the top of the "A," in THEORY I should be around 185 ish... my thermostat is 195 degrees..... so unless the coolant temp is measuring what the water pump is pushing from the radiator then it's off. I would imagine it should be a minimum of 195 if the thermostat is working correctly and the coolant temp is measuring the coolant that is coming from the engine block. I'm not sure how far off I am here, but like I said... theory. lol

88 orangepeel notch

Oops, I just read and replied the same exact topic in another sub forum here somewhere. Thought it was you, lol

yurizx6r

I tried it yesterday and I do think its accurate. I tried it on my cobalt and I warmed it up to 196, but when I measured the temperature it came out to 163.......I'm thinking no! lol

90nSSMD

My cluster started acting up on me so I just went with AutoMeter mechanical Oil Pres/Water Temp gauges. It's something I would highly recommend as the stock cluster can be a pain at times.

I got a 2 gauge a-pillar mount from Jegs, and routed the ends of the gauges behind the speaker and down through the steering column grommet. Worked out pretty well, and I used zip ties to keep everything neat so it doesn't look out of place.

Wouldn't even know where the stuff was in the engine bay unless you made it your goal to look for the stuff.

Only thing my cluster is "good" for anymore is Tach, Speedo, Fuel, and Voltage (which seems a little iffy recently anyways).

The wiring is pretty straight forward if you want lights. I pulled my headlight switch and wired the 12v source into there. Some people use the dimmer switch, but as you can see in the picture below, my dimmer switch is bad .