This is noticable when it is very cold outside.

I usually let my car warm up before I drive off and the operating temp is normal. once i get on the highway or go faster, the water temp gauge moves down, as if the air is so cold outside that the cold air is hitting the radiator, causing the water temp to decrease. but i dont think thats normal, im suspecting a faulty thermostat...does anyone else have this problem?

 

sounds like your thermostat is sticking open slightly. It's not completely closed in warm-up. It wouldn't bug me enough to fix quite yet though....




[Modified by RotaryBzzz, 9:08 PM 12/27/2002]

 

so it won't harm anything? should i replace it anyways, i have a 94 with ~77k miles

 

My car does the same thing. It can be at normal operating temperature, but if I drive for too long in a higher gear, it'll cool down pretty fast. Sometime it'll go below the bottom marking.

BTW is it hard to change the thermostat?


[Modified by wizurd, 5:40 AM 12/28/2002]

 

yes i would also like to know this

 

It is not hard to replace. Just follow the lower radiator hose back til it meets the engine. The thermostat is in that housing. Remove the bolts, take out the old thermostat, replace with a new one and put it back together. Make sure you replace any coolant that spills out.

 

It could also be that you have a "summer" thermostat that opens much quicker to keep the engine cool at temps around 100°f. You can have winter thermostats which will let the engine temps go a little higher before sending the coolant, and it would normalize the engine temperatures. But really, VA, Las Vegas? Not really worth it. You get how many winter days? You'd have to change back early april to the summer thermostat.

 

nice thread title

thermostat

 

I'm sorry, WHAT?! the thermostat is on the lower radiator hose? are you sure about this?

 

It's a PITA to replace. Gotta remove intake to get to thermostat housing. If you don't drain your coolant you'll spill a lot out the thermostat housing. Working with coolant is just a hassle in winter.

 

Oh Razor I don't think I ever realized you were from NoVA.

 

yep been living here for a while, since you're from kensington...have you ever been to the restaurant called "barnaby's : a publick ..."? just wondering

btw sorry nick m, i was in a hurry when i made the post. next time ill make the title much clearer.

 

 

oh crap i forgot to mention something, the water temp gauge doesnt seem to move when i have the heater off. when i turn the heater on(set to full warm, taking air from outside/engine bay) the water temp falls almost instantly, and goes back to normal when i have the air set to cold or completely off. its like a wierd cooling effect that is going on, is this relevant to the thermostat problem or what could it be?

 

definately sounds like a sticky thermostat. Er, actually maybe a 'not-completely-faulty' coolant temperature sensor: either one or both are not compensating quickly enough for changes in coolant temperature.

I'd pull codes and see if anything throws. I'm not sure, (haven't checked) but i think the coolant sensor would throw a code...