Good old Bill

Never run a computor controlled engine with out a t-stat, unless you are from Texas and Daddy owns an oil company. The computor needs a minimum engine temp to go into closed loop.

mavdad

gr8Dane,
Has been that way since i purchased it a month ago

bjafeman

A lot of us have chased our tails with the dash temp gauge that sits around the N or the O of the NORMAL readout only to find that everything was working just fine, myself included.

I bought a remote thermometer for the BBQ that had a probe that fit into the radiator top tube. Turns out everything was running fine for me.

If you really want to know what's going on in radiator town, you can install a T-fitting into the coolant sensor near your firewall (ton of room to work with back there) and purchase an aftermarket gauge that's more accurate. They're usually around $20 at an auto parts store. The fittings are actually standard 3/8" threaded, so you can get the t-fitting from Lowes or some place like that.

Chances are that if you're not experiencing any driving problems or super low mileage then you're OK. If the engine doesn't get up to correct operating temp for a while, you should get a code.

dewman

My 1996 F150 runs at the o in normal and I get plenty of heat in the winter.
And it can get very cold in Maryland from December to March(ish).

L.Jimmy

I don't know how cold it gets in south carolina but as long as your engine is hitting operating temperature and not running cold all the time your computer will let the engine run just fine. That is your main issue.

mavdad

Just curious, What kind of problems can a bad thermostat cause if it is bad and stuck in cold position?

tailgatefisher

The water wont circulate through the radiator to cool it down, then the engine over heats. Start your engine cold and squeeze the radiator hose with you hand. When the thermostat opens up, you will will feel the water surging throw the hose into the radiator. Mine also stays at the O.

Bloodbag

If the thermostat is stuck open, the engine will run cold. The temperature needle on the dash would more than likely not ever past cold.

Plus a cold running engine isn't as efficient and will use more gas.