88 XLT restomod

[Curious Hound]

Nope, thermostats cycle open and closed. As soon as it cools whats passing through the hose, it turns off. In the top causes it to run all the time.

Thats exactly what I discovered. I'm just saying that having the switch in the lower hose, it sees cooler water than what the thermostat sees. That is part of the reason for the switch setting being different (lower) from the thermostat setting.

Oh. We were typing at the same time. Sorry, PJ

 

[88xltranger]

Ah I see now. Thermostat controls min temp, going out to the radiator. Fan controls temp of coolant going back in to engine, which is monitored from the lower hose. So guage reading in a sense is "irrelevant" to fan operation because that is the temp going out to radiator. Did I get that right?

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Correct. Fan thermostat in lower hose controls fluid temperature after being cooled in the radiator, thermostat in engine controls when coolant is retained and released from the engine.

Coolant gages on a ford are mostly useless to know engine Temps.

 

[88xltranger]

Im planning on ditching the ford guages anyway and making my own cluster with aftermarket guages. I'd like to have some sort of datalogging/tuning capability but aftermarket ecus are something I have zero experience with. Ive only messed with off the shelf ecm reflash tunes on my subarus and cummins ecm work at my job but I'm sure none of that translates into something like megasquirt.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

megasquirt is a little tough at first, but you have help available.

Overall, I have yet to see a better tuning option.

 

[88xltranger]

megasquirt is a little tough at first, but you have help available.

Overall, I have yet to see a better tuning option.

Well I appreciate that. I think I will go that route a little down the road. I'd at least like to have a base tune to run on for awhile as I'm sure it would help smooth things out vs factory 1988 electronics. I have dabbled in ecm editing with opensources like romraider with my other cars but nothing crazy. Hell I would love to build the truck to be able to handle E85 after seeing its potential on my FRS. It really woke it up.

 

[88xltranger]

Small update

I have decided I do not like painting with a brush. Ripped the dash apart in order to black out trim and make the gauge cluster not look 30 years old. Not finished but already looking better. Still need to clean up my terrible lines and polish the lenses. LEDs coming as well.
Before:

Half finished:

Side note: Does anyone know what pins on the back are power and ground for the lights? Im not sure what color I want to go with yet and would like to check before installing the cluster.

 

[88xltranger]

Forgot to post some tear down photos if anyone is interested. I also removed the colored diffusers that give the lights their green tint.

 

[88xltranger]

Well then

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Need to see the rear coolant ports.

You have casting sand.

 

[88xltranger]

You want a shot of the coolant ports?

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Yes. Need to see what the residues look like. If they have what looks like mud smeared all over them, its casting residues.

 

[88xltranger]

Well I'm not home at the moment but they do have mud in them

 

[88xltranger]

Best I have at the moment

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

The residue tends to show worse at the back ports.

If @Ramcharger90 would be so kind as to snap a photo of the ports from my original heads, it gives a clear example on how to see if your engine has residue left in it.

Are you tearing down and having the block hot tanked? If so, be sure to completely clean out the coolant jacket with a pick before sending it out.