I don't know if this is due to a bad (stuck open/opening too soon) thermostat or if it's because I recored the radiator this summer (with a high flow/efficiency core) but regardless, I can't seem to get a coolant temp above the mid-140's right now.
Ambient temps are running in the 20's so I know that has something to do with it but going down the highway, even at 45* ambient, the car can not get much above the low 150's*. The bigger problem is that the computer will not lock the converter until the coolant temp is 151* so I end driving a lot of miles with an unlocked converter.
Is this a thermostat issue? I pulled the t-stat and dunked it in hot water that I measured the temp with - it seemed to work as it should and it was not stuck open (at least after I removed it). So, should I just order a new thermostat or is this something else? Maybe I should just block off part of the radiator? Today, the ambient temps were in the low 50* range and the highest the coolant temp got to was 160* and that was after sitting at a stop light.
Is it 'too much' radiator, bad t-stat, or some other weird issue I haven't even considered?
Ambient temps are running in the 20's so I know that has something to do with it but going down the highway, even at 45* ambient, the car can not get much above the low 150's*. The bigger problem is that the computer will not lock the converter until the coolant temp is 151* so I end driving a lot of miles with an unlocked converter.
Is this a thermostat issue? I pulled the t-stat and dunked it in hot water that I measured the temp with - it seemed to work as it should and it was not stuck open (at least after I removed it). So, should I just order a new thermostat or is this something else? Maybe I should just block off part of the radiator? Today, the ambient temps were in the low 50* range and the highest the coolant temp got to was 160* and that was after sitting at a stop light.
![Confused :confused: :confused:](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f615.png)
Is it 'too much' radiator, bad t-stat, or some other weird issue I haven't even considered?