Which temperature thermostat? Ford 3600

[petebert]

My upper radiator hose gets warm, my lower stays cold. I'm guessing thermostat stuck shut? It is winter in Michigan and I don't push it that hard in the winter, just moving manure from the barn. The temperature gauge never gets up too high, maybe 1/3rd of the way. My new block heater just died after about a month. I'm thinking since that lower hose stays cold, the thermostat is stuck shut and the block didn't fill up with enough coolant to submerge the block heater. I ran it for quite a while after refilling to try and bleed the sytem and top it off but eventually just gave up and put the radiator cap on.

I thought getting a new thermostat would be as simple as googling Ford 3600 thermostat but it seems they come in a bunch of different temperature options. Which one do I go with?

 

[RickB]

188 degree.

 

[tcartwri]

Buy a simple infrared gun and take measurements on the head. You do want the oil temperature up high enough to boil off any moisture.

 

[buickanddeere]

195F , hotter is better

 

[petebert]

As an experiment I put a bucket under the block heater and pulled it without draining the radiator first. I wanted to see if there was coolant in the head. Around 2 gallons came pouring out, so it would seem the brand new block heater just decided to die. I pulled the thermostat and it seemed fine, I was able to open it pretty easy by pushing on it. Also, I always let the tractor idle for a little while before I use it. Today when I got on it the temp gauge was in the red, this has never happened before, the gauge usually won't get past 40%. I immediately turned it off, the lower hose was still cold, the upper hose was just warm. I was also able to remove the radiator cap with just a little bit of pressure underneath. Did it really get that hot or was this a gauge fluke?

Any ideas why the lower hose stays cold? Think my water pump impellers have all rusted away to nothing? I can't test it since installing the new thermostat. USPS is late with my block heater so it's stuck in my driveway with a hole in the block.

 

[RickB]

You probably have nothing more than a faulty gauge, sender or incomplete ground path from the instrument cluster. How does the fuel gauge work?

 

[CCWKen]

The bottom radiator hose should always be cooler than the top hose. That's what radiators do. I'd be worried if they were the same temperature. It would mean you have a radiator cooling problem. Thermostats will often stick open too. This would cause a cold running engine. My 420c had that problem for a while until I had to do a valve job and replace the T-Stat. Built up so much carbon, the exhaust valves didn't close all the way. The thing will climb a tree now.

 

[buickanddeere]

Stat could be ruined by pushing on it. How about dangling it in a pot of hot water and a candy thermometer to actually measure the opening temperature ?

 

[Texasmark]

My upper radiator hose gets warm, my lower stays cold. I'm guessing thermostat stuck shut? It is winter in Michigan and I don't push it that hard in the winter, just moving manure from the barn. The temperature gauge never gets up too high, maybe 1/3rd of the way. My new block heater just died after about a month. I'm thinking since that lower hose stays cold, the thermostat is stuck shut and the block didn't fill up with enough coolant to submerge the block heater. I ran it for quite a while after refilling to try and bleed the sytem and top it off but eventually just gave up and put the radiator cap on.

I thought getting a new thermostat would be as simple as googling Ford 3600 thermostat but it seems they come in a bunch of different temperature options. Which one do I go with?

As I recall cooling systems apply hot water at the top and it flows through the radiator down (heat rises lack of heat falls) to the lower tube (with heat removed) and back into the engine. Sounds like your radiator is doing it's job regardless of the temp of your stat which just determines how hot the upper hose feels when you grab it if open.

 

[petebert]

You probably have nothing more than a faulty gauge, sender or incomplete ground path from the instrument cluster. How does the fuel gauge work?

I replaced the instrument cluster this summer and up to this point everything seemed to be fine. I'll check the manual later but can the temp sender be tested with a multimeter for a specified output and a particular temperature?

I installed the thermostat and started it to bleed it. The temperature gauge went full hot within 5 minutes. I again gave up waiting for the motor to heat up to bleed it. It's 20 degrees out with a miserable wind, I might need to put a blanket on it to heat the motor up. Just using my hand as a gauge both hoses were cold, coolant in the radiator was cold. Most of the block felt warm, the only part of the block that was hot to the touch was below the exhaust manifold, wasn't too hot to touch but starting to get there.