Cool Running, How much damage?

[jinman]

PS. By the way , another suggestion for the OP, you might want to use a non contact infra red thermometer to check engine temps at the radiator , block and head for some useful information

Now that's a winner. I look at every challenge as a chance to buy a new toy. Heck! HF puts those gages on sale all the time and I have trouble not buying them even though I already have a palm sized one and a larger one too.

 

[jk96]

I purchased an IR thermometer from Harbor Freight as Jim suggested to test my block temperature when my DX45 was running hot. Worked very well. Ended up being a thermostate issue.

 

[The Haymaker]

I think your gage might not well calibrated, that does not mean there is anything wrong with it. if I were overly concerned, then would do the following;
1-remove the sender unit,
2- Rig up a propane burner, a pot of cold water and start heating the water adjacent to the tractor.
3-I'd stick a reliable thermometer in the water and start observing. Candy making thermometers are quite accurate and they go to more than water's boiling point.
4- I'd keep the tractor temp sens leads on the sending device and by help of an assistant partially submerge the sending device in to hot water.
5- I keep the ignition switch on to activate the circuit. Obviously, you do not want to start the tractor.

Then I compare and contrast to see what your gage is telling, if water is around 180 and you are way below then I say your gage need calibration. I put a witness mark on the glass for 180 and then continue to raise the temp in the pot to 212 (boiling point at the sea level) to see where my gage goes. I put witness mark in there for red. I might decide then to either live with it knowing what's going on or change the temp gage. There is slight outside chance that the sending unit might be faulty as well.


JC,

I do all that only if , I'm in a good mood and have couple of hrs to kill

Or just trade the tractor for a new one, having the dealer sign a certified document that the temperature gauge is certified to be within 1/1000000% of the correct reading.

Sarcasm filter turned on translates all that to" "Run it!"

 

[AndyG]

Sounds like a thermostat that is stuck open. Before you go through a bunch of trouble doing tests and blocking off other hoses just take the thermostat out a check to make sure it is working properly. You probably did not do much damage but running cool is not helping your engine either