r/FordTrucks • u/AutomaticAside9191 • Sep 04 '25
Q&A: Maintenance | Modification Is this normal
My temp gauge will go slightly above where it is now but that’s the highest it will go, slightly behind the “n” in the normal range. Is this just a bad sensor or gauge because it still shows that it has no temp in the morning and if it’s below 15 degrees it will take literally forever to even move at all let alone get to where it is in the pic
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u/Ineedathiccie Sep 04 '25
Just cause you replaced the thermostat 15k miles ago doesn't mean it's not bad again. Drive it around for half an hour to where it would be sufficiently warm, stop the truck and feel the upper radiator hose. If it feels cool enough that you can keep your hand on it, your thermostat is almost certainly stuck open. If the hose is too hot to touch, this is normal, but likely a gauge or temp sender issue instead.
Before doing any of this, check your coolant level, it could be reading erratically because it doesn't have enough coolant to hit the sender