Looking for input from folks that have fitted aftermarket gauges to their 22res.

I've got a capillary gauge fitted in the thermostat housing so I can see real engine coolant temps and not just the needle on the stock gauge. It's an Equus 6242.

Usually my aftermarket gauge reads 200-210F driving around normally. But running fast on the highway with the AC on I can get to 230F. At this point the stock gauge actually starts to move up from the place it always sits, but not into the red.

Please give me a sanity check here. Is 230 a reasonable coolant temperature for the 22re?

 

should be at 190, you should have a dual stage thermostat from the dealership. If you do buy one from a parts store make sure it is a 190 degree t stat and drill a small hole in it so that water can bypass or it will run hot and run risk of overheating there are plenty of discussions about it in the forums here

 

Thanks, I am planning to get a two-stage stat at some point, though I'm not experiencing the "runs hotter with the heat on" issue. I also have no reason to believe I'm overheating. The radiator and water pump are pretty new and the system is clean.

Though the tstat opens at 190F I'm sure engines run higher than 190 at times. I'm looking for other's engine temp observations. Have you ever taken a "real" coolant measurement?

 

I have aftermarket gauges in my truck, i never get hotter than 195

 

Mine never gets hotter than 205 when I am really pushing it.

Usually I run around 195.

I have the dual stage thermostat FWIW...

 

Mine most of the time around 190

All new parts.

How long was it running this warm??

Since you put the gauge in??

 

Only recently have I been seeing 230 due to getting the AC fixed and the hot Atlanta weather. Like I said it usually hovers around 200-210, which seems totally reasonable.

 

Well we all have ours run around the same

I use a sending unit in the stock location as I would venture we all might as well .

If your fine with it after all you pay the bills.

It might be your sending unit location( your cap tube in the coolant) is what gives the different reading.

I have never been able to find a mechanical gauge to work the capillary tubes were all to short.

Now if I would have gone to a Truck parts place I might find one I just never did.

 

hey Rust, I read this over at pirate.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyot...ech-gauge.html

 

I've keep dealing with a perennially LOW temp. I need to rig up some more accurate measurement methods, but especially with cheap thermostats it seems like the steady state temp they produce is pretty variable.

However I can tell you that I don't reach 190 and I:

1. Run this radiator: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/more...153&cc=1278097

2. have no fan installed. The clutch is still there though.

3. have seen this steady state temp persist over a range of 40 to 90F ambient temps.

I'd try a new thermostat. The dual stage thermostat seems unnecessary for anything but a 4runner, and my conjecture is that most of the benefit people see from them is getting a quality thermostat that regulates temp to 190F +/- 5% as opposed to +/- 20%.

Edit, my point was that if you're overheating in normal conditions, it's because you're restricting the cooling capacity of your vehicle too much. The 22re doesn't produce enough waste heat to require massive cooling packages.

 

That seems totally not plausible...? No fan?

I think you should confirm the true temp before assuming your temperature is low. Having a low temp never puts the ECU into open loop, thus running at start up fuel and timing maps, making you run rich all the time. That is something I would not be proud of.

 

I have a autometer #3632 gauge. It never gets above 180º with a/c on in traffic.

 

Temp gauge sits at about 1/3, idle sits at about 1000 RPM. Starts up at 2k, comes down as the engine heats up.

Your fan is basically unnecessary past idle. Ram air alone is MORE than sufficient. That's why the clutch is there... AC changes that radically though, and I don't have it.

 

I also have a big TJM winch bumper. I think it restricts airflow somewhat. I may need to look into better air channeling.

I will also definitely try a new tstat and maybe lessen the coolant concentration a bit.

 

Even uphill, a/c on or off it won't go past 180º. I think anything above 200º for a 22r, re is too hot.

 

you could try switching to a lower temp t stat, might help you out in the blazing hot desert you live in

 

I disagree, 200º is not too hot for a 22R, I mean it comes stock with a 190º thermostat. I would start to get worried around the 220º-230º range.

Since you're never going above 180º I'm guessing that you have a lower than 190F thermostat, I wouldn't recommend doing that, stick with stock 190F dual stage.

That being said, I too have after market gauges in my truck, cruising down the freeway I'll maintain around 195º, if I load it up going uphill the highest I've ever seen it go is 205~210.

I have never seen it go higher than that in any condition.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. Like I said, the stock gauge actually moves a bit when the aftermarket gauge reads 230, telling me that Toyota prefers <230.

I'm also running the Mercury Villager eFan. Normal around town, on the trail, whatever it does GREAT and keeps the temps very stable. On the highway with AC I end up having to run the fan on HI speed to keep the engine below 230.

I don't know if the stock mechanical fan runs at highway speeds normally.

 

anything over 60km/hr (think like 45 mph not sure) the mechanical fan does nothing. forced air does more than the fan would.

 

If your o.k. with it running at 190º+ I'm sure it'll be fine. But heat is a engine's worse enemy. Blown head gasket, excessive engine wear, oil break down (why do you think people run oil coolers) etc. The factory put in a 190º t-stat for emissions purpose, a hotter engine burns cleaner. A cooler engine will perform better to a certain point. If you could run it 5-10º cooler why not? You'll have a little more power. 22re needs all the help it can get. My truck runs all day long at 174-180º with no problems. It doesn't affect the computer or run rich. A/F gauge shows 14.5-14.9 @ idle