504 engine temperature
Andrew Buc (abuc@ibm.net)
Wed, 1 Jul 1998 00:23:30 PST
When I first got into 504's in 1990, Brian Holm (whose opinion I respect)
told me that the 504 temperature gauge is calibrated a bit oddly: the needle
can be just <slightly> into the red zone, and the car isn't actually
overheating. (Higher in the red zone is another matter.) My '71, '78, and
'74 504's have indeed run at this temperature, and I haven't worried about
it.
When I had some work done on the '74 a few months ago, the mechanic replaced
the (leaking) water pump and changed from a winter to a summer thermostat.
Since then, I don't think the needle has ever gotten more than 2/3 or 3/4 of
the way up the middle (black) zone, and most of the time it's been even
lower. So I'm coming to think that while the needle slightly in the red zone
may be acceptable, it's possible to do better. Comments?