# Cooling **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [July 4, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864 "2009-07-04T18:38:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hbench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@hbench](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hbench)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864/1 "2009-07-04T18:38:30Z")
What is the proper operating temp for a 5.7L, 1982 Chevy engine? The sensor is in the head on the left side of the engine. The temp gauge is a Stewart/Warner that shows actual temp not just a low and high with a space in between. ---
**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864/2 "2009-07-04T23:57:45Z")
I don’t know, but it should be a little above the opening temp of a stock thermostat. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864/3 "2009-07-05T01:16:23Z")
Depending on the ambient temperature, engine coolant temps can be anywhere from 210-225 degress F. Tester ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wizard](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864/4 "2009-07-05T01:57:40Z")
It depends on the thermostat set temp. If it is at 190, no matter where you take a temperature reading, it will be 190. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864/5 "2009-07-05T02:02:30Z")
That 190 is the temperature at which the thermostat opens. Once it opens, it’s the job of the cooling system (radiator/fans} to keep coolant temperatures under control. Tester ---
**Author:** ![wizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wizard](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wizard)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864/6 "2009-07-05T02:24:31Z")
My experience is that the thermostat will open at 190, in this case, and the engine will maintain that temperature. I have done this with several model cars and the temperature that is read is the temperature marked on the thermostat. ---
**Author:** ![hbench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@hbench](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hbench)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864/7 "2009-07-05T12:57:21Z")
Thanks for the help. I think I have either a bad/wrong thermostat or a defective gauge. The gauge tells me I am running at as much as 225 sometimes and yet I am not losing coolant. I suppose I could also have a bad water pump but if so it is not leaking. I have seen that in other applications where the impeller on the pump is erroded and so the flow is not adequate. hbench ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling/32864/8 "2009-07-05T13:14:02Z")
Tester is correct with his reply. If the vehicle has a 190 thermostat in it, that’s the temperature the t-stat opens at, and will be the lowest temperature the engine operates at. In practice, engine temperatures will rise much higher than the t-stat rating - often rising to the 220 to 230 degree range (and those temps are considered “under control”).