So since i got my truck a few weeks ago (96 with 175k miles, upper end of engine redone a few months ago) the temperature hasn't moved at all, it's sat just below half way whenever its warmed up. the last few days it's gotten over 100 here and i've noticed it go to just over half and stop there when stopped and restarted, and then go back down after a little driving. now my initial thought was fan clutch, but then wouldn't it have just kept getting hot? what's even the normal spot for this gauge to sit? i'll be driving it to st louis from la at the end of december so she's getting alot of use now to find the problems so they don't sneek up on me then, and before that i plan on doing radiator hoses and thermostat while i'm in there. I did search and the belt is routed properly (i replaced that already) and water pump was done just before i bought the car. also for the lower hose, i see 2 options, how do i know which i need? thanks in advance for the help.

and just for the hell of it, heres a pic of my truck (i did the tires and added running boards and brush guard)


questions are:
where's normal operating temp on these trucks? (where should my temp gauge sit)
slight temp increase after turning off engine and then idling in traffic on restart, but when driven temp goes to normal, possible bad fan clutch?
whats the difference in lower radiator hoses, i see two options?

 

There's only so much info that you can derive from that little needle. If you can spot the cash, you might consider picking up a ScanGauge. This will show you the actual water temperature, in degrees.
I know this doesn't really directly answer your question, but something like that could definitely help you start troubleshooting these types of things. Also, it will allow you to see temperature fluctuations before they show up on the needle, which could save your butt.

 

i just added my main questions under, that help?
i'd like to get a scangauge, dont have the extra cash at the moment, but imma try my usb obdII reader next time i notice the problem...

 

I would suspect the fan clutch. When mine went bad, my temp gauge would stay right at the halfway mark,or just under, no matter if I was stop-n-go or highway driving. The only indicator I had it was bad was: my electric fans kicked on aftershut the car down(meaning hotter than should be), and when sitting and idleing(when hot), I could rev the engine and hear no "swoosh" of air from the fan.

Your lower hose is for the pre-advance evap, they started the advanced evap system in mid-'97. And feel lucky, the lower hose is twice as much for the latter.

 

i can hear the swoosh but that means nothing if its just starting to go out. did replacing the fan clutch fix your problem?

good info, now i can finally order my hoses haha.

 

With your mileage, if you haven't done it, I would replace the water pump along with the fan clutch. I would also take out the radiator and have it backflushed. These are prone to clogging and if the PO had a headgasket leak, they may have put some sort of stop leak in it.

Usually fan clutches will lock up at all times when they are going out. Sounds like yours is getting hot and locking up (whooshing sound) and poor flow will cause it to heat up.

 

funny you mention stop leak, the po did run that for a leaky radiator then he put one in from the junk yard. the wooshing sound i was talking about is more on start up, dont really notice it later but i dont really leave the windows down. so you think this sounds like clogged radiator? i didnt think that since it was fine when driving, doesnt that usually cause overheating when its moving too?

 

Yes, after I replaced the cluch, I no longer had the e-fans coming on at shut down. But what was odd, is my temp gauge never went over half way. I would hear the fan run first thing cold,but that was it. Now with the new clucth, if i sit and idle, I get the same swoosh as when I first started in the morning.

A semi-blocked radiator usually will run hot moving or not. But, not to say it isn't also.

 

yea i think imma just replace it for peace of mind with my hoses regardless of if its actually needed or not. if i still have the problem after i'll have the radiator flushed, though i probably wont see a problem since now the temperature's dropping back to the 80's here.

 

so update, i've replaced the thermostat and all hoses, sure enough the thermostat was stuck. so far it looks better but i havent been too far yet so well see tomorrow. i'm ordering the fan clutch as well as it seams weak to me.