Hi! Just checking. When I first bought the old panther body I'm driving, on the 250mile drive from pittsburgh it ran exactly in the center of the normal range for the temperature gauge (sadly, no Fahrenheit scale). I just did a lot of work. My coolant pump, while I've some doubts on my gasket mistake, is not leaking. But it seems that after doing my spark plugs and fuel filter, the engine runs much smoother, never ever stalling on hills as it used to do on occasion; but seems to be running just a little hotter than it used to, also. I also burned maybe a 1/4 quart of oil in several hundred miles Normal? After all, it is also summer time, with 90F weather and 60% humidity. And I guess I'm getting more horsepower and going faster now that I've changed the old fuel filter, especially. The old spark plugs were definitely corroded, with a larger gap than the .045 suggested; and colored yellow above all. Just checking. I'm new to all of this... and about to embark on a 6 hr drive this Friday out to virginia for vacation!
I wouldn't worry about the oil usage as it seems pretty small. One thing that is really hard to check is the fan clutch. Is it hotter in town or hotter on the highway? If in town maybe the fan clutch is not engaging. If on the highway did you get the timing just right?
Did you gap the new plugs correctly? A small difference in spark plug gap can mean a big difference in combusion efficiency.
