ok here is the deal. Gauge in cluster went bad. bought an aftermarket mechanical water temp gauge. problem is where to install it! some people say top hose going into head, others say in the thermostat housing! if i put it in the upper inlet (top hose) it shows about 230-240 when driving interstate or going up hills and bout 190-210 at idle. if i put it at thermostat housing it shows 190-210 driving and 160-180 at idle! which is the correct spot???? trying to actually see if car is really overheating or what??? thanks

 

I put mine in the upper radiator hose. First I used an aluminum fitting that goes in the hose and holds the sending unit. Then I had a local company that supplies hydraulic fittings solder one in the water outlet. I couldn't tell much difference between the two location, but then I see no reason that they should be different since they both are measuring the water temp as it leaves the block.

 

i had it in the upper hose first. but ecspecially going up steep hills or on a hot day it was showing sometimes as much as 230-240! and plus i cant find anywhere that actually says what overheating temp should be. i know the thermostat is new and is a 195 degree stat.

 

and have already bled the coolant system. thought water pump may be bad, but its only6 months old and took the top hose off and its pushn coolant out. not pushn fast but it was flowing.

 

Mine with run those temps on a hot day. If the weather cools off, it will run around 200. The factory gauge shows the temp just under the half way mark. The aftermarket gauge can vary from 180 to 220 and the factory gauge never moves. It starts to creep up after that.

 

so i wonder does it matter where you install it? right now its in the thermostat housing and the fans are wired direct so they are on all the time when the ignition is on. i just drove on interstate for about 15 mins and it never went over 215-220 at about 80 mph. but a guy at the parts store says at the thermostat housing its not showing what my actual motor temp is its jus showing the temp of whats in the radiator.

 

I put mine where the water exits the block so hopefully getting a better reading.

 

Wouldn't it be more productive to replace the components causing your issue?

 

well thats another issue. before the gauge started acting stupid was still having overheating issues,....ive put new thermostat,water pump,fan sensor gauge sensor,and radiator cap,and flushed and bled the system. until the factory gauge quit working all together it was showing the car overheating. so thats why i got this gauge to see if it was the gauge all this time or not. but im getting different reading in 2 diff spots. so which is he right one???

 

I don't think there is a right or wrong spot. Just decide what you want to monitor and go with it.