I would like to know what the proper coolant temperature should be when the car is idling. The thermostat is rated at 180 but I am sure there is some temperature rise above that. I just got this car and changed the alternator. I just want to make sure I did not mess anything up when the radiator was pulled during alternator replacement.

 

lol....... your cool. that is an operating temp. do you feel your car is overheating? check your gague...... oh shoot, it would be nice to know what kind of car your talkin about. we sort of need to know things. most techs would leave this post alone. not enough info. so................. keep us posted
rickyd

 

the stat sets the MINIMUM temp, not the max.

expect 220F to 240F on a properly working V8 ...

As Rick stated, what car is it that we are talking about?


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Its a 99 deville. I dont have a gauge just a digital readout.

 

so.......... is all okay? is your ride running at the correct temp?
rickyd

 

I think so. Initially I was worried that it was going to overheat when the temp got above 210. My cooling system seems to be functioning fine. One final question, should I use the cooling system pellets or not. I am scared that I will have one of the head gasket problems so prevalent on this forum. Some say not to use the pellets, some say they are required. Let me know. I believe that I can trust the info received here.

 

every 24 months drain the coolant and replace with a 50/50 mix, add the pellets, dont drive it if it ever overheats and you will likely never have a headgasket issue.

It is really that simple.

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Well I think we have put this issue to bed. Thanks to all that helped. This is an awesome forum. I'm sure I will have other questions later.