Was driving and heard a "clunk". Not a pothole, rock or squirrel in road. A while later I noticed the hood moving up and down a bit. Also noticed the temp gauge was lower than normal. Stopped and yes....the hood release was loose and a 1 or 2 inch gap was seen. Got the hood down firmly......and drove off. In a few minutes the temp gauge was back to normal....around 200 degrees.

Q is....did additional air coming in affect the coolant temp sensor ?

TIA

 

from what I’ve heard Too much cooling can affect engine performance. There is a reason why automotive car manufacturers keep an engine at a certain temperature from factory. But I don’t think it’ll hurt if the engine is cooled down 5-10° more than usual more than that I would be concerned.

 

OK......Temp is back to normal. I looked at the hood release latch and T pull handle and all seems to be well.

So......I had thought the additional and/or diverted air flow. ..... affected the coolant temp sensor. Probably. I don't know where the sensor is located. Any advice ?

TIA

 

The coolant temp sensor is emmersed in coolant on the side of the engine. There is no way for the air to direct affect it. However with the hood being unlatched it acted like a scoop. Bunch of air was flowing into the engine bay and cooling the engine itself. I run my truck with a 160 degree thermostat but have custom tuned the truck to function properly that way.