My first guess would be that the hose that blew was in such a place
that the pump could keep pulling water from the radiator and the area
where the temp sensor is located received the normal-temperature water
in sufficient quantity to keep the engine cool. Your coolant light
probably came on when the coolant level sank, and while the leak was
creating havoc elsewhere--maybe drowning your engine and making it run
poorly--the engine never got all that hot.

Jim

On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 9:25 AM, Jeff Lincoln<magikvw@gmail.com> wrote:
> So I was thinking about the situation with my engine that I described to you
> all yesterday. My question is this.
>
> If I blew a coolant line that cause a major loss of coolant and the engine
> heated up as much as it did - then why didn't my gauge needle rise above
> normal? I know it works because in times of waiting in traffic or long idle
> times the needle will creep up until the fan kicks in. So if the engine was
> hot enough to boil coolant when we poured it in why didn't the needle sky
> rocket?
>
> --
> Thanks,
>
> Jeff
> '90 Carat (Grover)
> '86 (We call this one Parts)
> '78 Bus (Melissa) Patty's Bus
>