- Joined
- Feb 28, 2001
- Messages
- 8,571
- Reaction score
- 5,153
- Location
- Dayton Oregon
- Vehicle Year
- 1990, 1997
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Type
- 2.3 (4 Cylinder)
- Engine Size
- 2.3 Turbo
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Total Lift
- 6
- Tire Size
- 35"
do NOT stress about the temp gauge position on a 2.3L, I've been around here a long time and this is the most common question other than people complaining about low power (they're fairly gutless, but dead reliable so I like em...)... my '90 has had at least 3 gauge senders and several thermostats, the heater blows super hot but the gauge is never really ever above the N, if it stands straight up there's a problem (like piercing the radiator with the fan clutch, that has been a recurring problem... fixed it with a traction bar). On my '97 being OBD II it's easier to get an actual temperature to relate to the temp gauge, the heater used to be really cold under 50 degrees before I flushed the heater core but even on 100F days it never gets over 180F coolant temp and that's somewhere around the middle of the gauge...