OK, I've read all the articles about how thermostats work and I believe I understand it. So my 440x6 would not move the temp gauge. I did all the required testing, grounding the sensor made the gauge move so the wiring and gauge worked. I replaced the sensor because they're cheap and easy to replace. Still no movement until I stopped the engine and waited 60 seconds. Turning the car back on had the temp gauge at about the 1/3 mark. It quickly scooted back to 0 when I started the engine.
So I decided to replace the 180 thermostat with the 195 as Dodge specified for this engine.
The existing thermostat was stuck open. It was one of those 'fail open' types and had been in the engine for a whopping 3 months. Stuck open meant there was no regulation on the cooling and the engine was unable to reach operating temp.
New thermostat and the gauge works. With a 195 it runs up to the 90% mark before backing back down to about the 60% range.
Now I really understand.
So I decided to replace the 180 thermostat with the 195 as Dodge specified for this engine.
The existing thermostat was stuck open. It was one of those 'fail open' types and had been in the engine for a whopping 3 months. Stuck open meant there was no regulation on the cooling and the engine was unable to reach operating temp.
New thermostat and the gauge works. With a 195 it runs up to the 90% mark before backing back down to about the 60% range.
Now I really understand.