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What is normal temperture?

Anywhere. Zetec tends to run a little warmer (M or A) whereas Duratecs typically stay around the O-R. But that's only for the most general of situations, individuals often note different readings.

But the gauge isn't the most reliable anyway. When my new waterpump broke and the car was overheating (verified with Brapple's OBD-II scanner), it never went above the M.

I also had a funky problem where at a traffic light, the gauge would slowly rise to A-L and stay there till I was driving again at 40mph. I wasn't convinced the car was heating up though, it rose and fell too quickly. Never figured it out before I sold the car, though it may have been the temperature sender at fault.

Search the forums (old and new), you'll find much more detailed information on the gauge and other people's experiences.

Welcome to the forums...
 
Rouar said:
I also had a funky problem where at a traffic light, the gauge would slowly rise to A-L and stay there till I was driving again at 40mph. I wasn't convinced the car was heating up though, it rose and fell too quickly. Never figured it out before I sold the car, though it may have been the temperature sender at fault.
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Sounds like your low fan resistor was shot! Once your car gets to 216 around the A-L then your high and low fan kick on through a different resistor (the top one I believe) to keep it from overheating. Then when you drive it cools back down! Engine temps can rise and fall quickly!
 
No, low and high speed fans were working properly. Verified that with Brapple as well, they both kicked on at the appropriate temperatures when the waterpump was shot, which was the same time period. :shrug: Whenever this incident occurred, only my low speed fan kicked on, and only sometimes at that (it acted just like normal driving). I never got a scanner of my own to test the actual temperatures when it occurred.

(and that high speed fan is LOUD!)
 
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normal operating temp is 190 degrees or what ever the thermostat is that you have .... low speed fans are suppose to kick on at 212 degrees and run until 190 is reach or specific temp of thermostat, around @215~217 the high speed fan should kick in ...

as noted the guage isn't calibrated per say so its in a way hard to use it to guage actual temp ...
 
My Zetec runns really cold just a little above the c line.

The SVT is allways over half way, some times higher.
 
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