The t-stat should control the temp. of the engine. the comp. has no way of controlling the temp other than bumping up the idle. under normal conditions it shouldn't run much hotter than the t-stat rating.

210 is ok in the summer but much more than that and I get nervous. I would get an infared gun and check the temperatures close to the t-stat housing and compare to your guage to see if in fact it is overheating. The drop across the radiator should be around 12-16 degrees if I not mistaken. (from top to bottom hose) If you pour water down the front of the radiator does it cool down? if so you might have an airflow problem.

 

The comp controls spark and fuel tables (AFR) which directly affects engine temp....

 

The sole purpose of the t-stat is to bring the engine to full operating temp. The reason they started putting 195 t-stats in is for emissions reasons, they burn cleaner at the higher temp. The only adjust. the computer will make is for initial warm up ( bumping up the idle), otherwise it is only controlling fuel mixture for emissions sake. Some times if the eng. is not at operating temp. the fuel mix control will not go into closed loop it will stay in open loop where it uses preset parameters for fuel mix. This will have minimal effect on eng temp.

 

cold ride comin home from work........ guage didnt even budge........i think im gonna put the tstat in from the other truck tomorrow....it has only been installed in the intake but not used and the flow area looks alot more open that the other one....thanks for all the help and ill let yall know what happens

 

okay bought a new tstat....same as b4 b/c the otheone from the other truck was too big....got it installed and it still goes up to the same temp.......top hose is getting hot and that side of the rad......other side is cold and bottom hose is cold........should i go ahead and trade my sensor back in and try a new one?

 

well damn.
so its running a little hot, not too hot, but steady.
2 new t-stats and 1 new temp sensor, and its still hot.
meanwhile running with no t-stat, its stays dead cold.

ok, now i'm guessing. somethings wrong with the water pump.
either the impeller is slipping, or somethings preventing it from moving water like its supposed to.
how to prove it ... this is a question. if you disconnect lower rad hose from the wp, could you stick a screwdriver up in the pump, and try to turn the wp pulley ?

 

i might try that tomorrow....already went thru about $50 worth of antifreeze since the flush...lol

 

pressure test the system with a leak down test. That will tell you if there is a leaky gasket somewhere....maybe the head gasket or ???????????

 

^ good idea.
if you can catch the antifreeze in a bucket, you can filter it back through a towel and reuse it.

 

i rented one the other day and was playin around with it....how much do i need to pressurize it?.....i got it up to 20lbs and it was holdin