read that if your temp gauge only goes to 1/4 max than your thermo is stuck open ?? wouldnt this be a good thing?

 

Most 90s Hondas temp gauges never go above 1/4. Accords are the only ones I see go above 1/4, but not by much. I would just leave it alone or put a lasesr thermometer on one of the hoses to check for proper operating temp if you're really concerned about it.

 

You'll know because your heater will only blow lukewarm.

 

Not neccesarily. My 94 temp guage is pretty much at 1/4 all the time. The easiest way to tell is pull it out and see if it is open or not. ]

I have talked to a couple honda techs down at my local dealership who have told me that factory temp guages are next to useless, that he has worked on cars where the engine temp ranged from 175-210*F and the guage did not move at all.

As for the thermostat being stuck open a good thing? Not really, but neither is it bad. If you live in a cold climate, like up north somewhere then you might want to put one in so you can get heat. Also if the engine doesn't reach normal operating temperature the ECU will cause it ro run a little richer because it still thinks the engine is warming up. But if you live in a hot climate (I live in az for example) during the summer when your T-stat is running wide open from pretty much startup then it really doesn't make a difference at all.

 

Thermostats are designed to fail open so that you don't damage your engine. You'd rather the engine constantly moves water around the engine and runs cooler, than it gets stuck closed and you blow a headgasket.