Kioti RX7320 Temp Gauge Not Working

[Tinstafl]

I was working mine pulling fence posts and it never really got up to operating temps in an hour but I pulled the posts and old wire then shut it down. I will need to move some gravel soon so that will tax it a bit. . I was not minus 5 but in the twenties.

 

[WarrenLT]

So I hopped in the tractor and headed down the road to my brothers house. Once I was running in high gear at PTO speed for about a half mile the gauge came up and settled between the dots like it's supposed to. Once I slowed down and started moving snow, it slowly dropped back down to nothing.

So evidently its working, just running too cold to move the needle in this sub zero weather. Does that mean a stuck thermostat or is this normal and maybe just a symptom of a very narrow window of temp to move the needle?

Did you ever get this fixed or are you just living with it? My 2024 RX7320 does the same thing. I am convinced its because the heater return goes to the radiator bottom tank rather than the water pump inlet which just like having a partially open thermostat. The engine will not maintain operating temp with the heater on unless you work it hard.

 

[Looking4new]

If you don't want to change the thermostat in the cold weather, just put a piece of cardboard over the rad. I use an amazon box side and cover all the rad. Usually I put that in front of the dust screen. It works for me, I use it every winter.

 

[WarrenLT]

Thanks for your reply. My thermostat is okay and doing its job. The problem is the heater return flow pushing cold water from the radiator back to the engine. I've tried the cardboard and it does help but you also have to heat up the water in the radiator to get the engine warm. Wouldn't be necessary if the heater return went back to the water pump inlet (lower radiator hose tee). Then the radiator would be out of the loop until its needed and the thermostat opens.