i flushed my radiator out today with the bottom hose of the radiator was cold?

Question

the bottom hose of the radiator goes to the water pump not sure if thats why the bottom hose is cold it gets warm however after driving it then stopping at a store or parking at my house with the engine off .i flushed my radiator hoping that would solve the problem not sure if it did the hose was warm while running but my temperature gauge goes to about 150 then the needle drops to 140.im thinking also the thermostat might be stuck open .im just wondering if i hurt anything by doing the flush system .ive had good heating in my car when the bottom hose was cold though

Answer 1

The water from the engine enters the radiator through the top hose, flows down through the radiator where it is cooled and returned to the engine through the bottom hose. Therefore the bottom hose will be cooler than the upper hose. Hope you refilled the radiator with an anti freeze solution. Plain water will not protect the system against rust or freezing. There's always the possibility of a gauge or sending unit that isn't working quite right. A Mechanical gauge is more accurate and can be purchased at the parts store for just a few bucks. Screw it into the block in place of the sending unit and see what the true status is. I keep a temp and oil pressure gauge just for that purpose. What's provided by the manufacturer aren't usually real accurate.