ok i noticed this happens forsure now, my 96 civic temp gauge goes up to normal while i drive, but if it sits running the temp drops back down almost all the way, untill i drive again.. wtf. thermostat?

 

by the way, its like 1 degree here

 

I know what you mean, my civic does the same thing...my heater won't kick in until i get home...(20 minutes later), and if i get out of my car for more than 15 minutes and get back in i have to wait for it to reheat...I've asked some people they say it is my thermostat..check that, thats my guess....let me know if you find out what the problem is...

 

very simple...

MN and here in WI its very cold.

engine produces alot less heat at idle... your heat will be cooler when idling for a while as well.

 

serious? i've never had a car that wont atleast stay at normal operating temp after i been driving when i stop somewhere and let it idle for a while, not even any of my other hondas


like really, it must be my thermostat or somthing, i know its like -1 degree out but the temp gauge shouldnt drop all the way when i stop and idle somewhere..

 

Mine doesn't, well my B16 has a stock 170 degree tstat so it keeps the motor cooler so that = less heat

 

Does this happen only when the heater is on?

 

That was going to be my next ? RTI,it still shouldn't do it that quick though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gutted-dx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That was going to be my next ? RTI,it still shouldn't do it that quick though.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I think I can imagine this happening in very cold weather with the heater on, even if the thermostat is operating properly. The heater is taking away heat from the engine, which is already subjected to very cold temps. The combustion is the source of the heat, so at idle, there is not enough heat generation to overcome the heat loss to the surroundings AND the heat taken away by the heater due to the low engine speed. This is all I can think of.

 

If it's colder outside your motor will not get too hot (not even to operating temp) just sitting and idling. When it's freezing out, your car is going to run cooler. It's like saying, it's only 10 degrees out, why are my short-sleeve shirt and shorts not keeping me warm, I thought my body was supposed to be 98.6.

 

ive lived in mn forever and never seen this. as for does it only do it when the heat is on, thats a good question.

 

when i lived in AK, it could get butt freaking cold too. but my heater and temp gauge always stayed around normal. but now, i am in CA, and i upgraded to a koyo radiator, and while driving on the freeway on a cool night, the temperature gauge drops to C.