Running cold?

Last winter I noticed my water temp guage was showing a little cool. My Testarossa’s gauge also runs a little cool in cold weather so it may be normal.

This picture was taken during a drive when the temperature was in the high 50s (Fahrenheit), after about 6 miles of driving. Does this look normal or is my thermostat possibly stuck open/weak?
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Mine was running at about that temperature all the time, unless it was really warm outside. When I had my major done, they said that my thermostat was non functional, staying open all the time! Now that I have a new thermostat, the car runs about the middle of the gauge most of the time, 195 F or so.
So, I think yours is running a little cool, might want to check and see if your thermostat is working okay. Remember, a bad thermostat can make your car run cold or overheat, depends on which way it's failing - stuck open = cold running, stuck closed = hot running.
Alden

 

I also wonder if it is not fully warmed. The oil temperature on my car takes more than 6 miles to come up to "normal" I recently had an engine out service, and my car runs a but warmer than that at full temperature, but usually a bot below the mid point. It will go up to mid point if the A/C is on or I'm driving faster.

 

Oil temperature does take a while to come up, but shouldn’t water temp be mostly at optimal level after 6 miles?

 

I’ll test it tomorrow going to work. It probably depends on a lot of factors; speed, stuck in traffic, etc. I’ll see when it comes up and report on traffic

 

My water temp comes up pretty fast within a few minutes of driving, the oil temp usually takes longer to get up to temperature. And I know that the gauge of whether the engine is really warmed up is not the water temperature but the oil temp.
Alden

 

I prefer cool temps, which is what my car shows on the gauges during the hottest summer days...
As opposed to a lot hot, which my British car displays on days above 70 degrees F.

 

Our cars are designed to run at a certain temperature, if it doesn't get up to the correct operating temperature then you may be operating in warm-up mode all the time, running rich and not performing as it was designed.
I know my car seems to run much better now that my thermostat is closed for warm up and opening at the correct temperature, and not staying open all the time.
Alden

 

Water heats and cools much faster than oil.

 

Really common problem. My belief is the thermostat springs are low quality and the heating and cooling causes them to lose their temper and get weak. So at any given temp they are open further than they were designed to be.

 

Here's my experience this morning:

Outside temperature 61 degrees F

Before starting timing the engine ran while I backed out of the garage, got out to close the trunk that wasn't properly closed, and put on seat belt. Maybe 2 minutes more than the times quoted below. My drive starts on surface streets, some quite congested. I drive slowly when the engine is cold, the first 2 miles or so.

Heater provided warm air almost immediately, maybe 2 minutes, although the temperature gauge hadn't moved.

Temperature came to low mark (168?) in 2 miles, probably 5 minutes. After this I get onto a very congested street.

Transmission Temp came off stop (140) at about 3 miles, by this time water temperature was above low (168?) mark but not by much. I surmise that the thermostat begins to open around this mark. Coolant temperature change slowed after this point.

Transmission temp to low mark (180) at 6 miles, 9 minutes. Here I get on a 70mph stretch

Engine temp midway between high and low at 11 minutes (181 Degrees F), it tended to stay at this temperature the rest of the trip, which by then was about 70mph for about 2 miles.

After 2 minutes of idling at a malfunctioning light the engine temperature was at 195.

Drove a few blocks into garage at work and temperature was down to slightly below 195. The transmission temperature sat at the low mark--180?

Total drive 9 miles in 32 minutes

My synopsis is that with gentle driving the engine probably stays a bit below 195, where your car is. Knowing the thermostat temperature would be good, but I don't. I imagine Rifledriver does. From the research I did it sounds as if the cooling fans come on at 195, which would explain the car's not going above that.

Now I'm wondering if my thermostat is bad, at least it seems to stay in the generally correct areas, as perhaps yours does as well. My thermostat is new, but...

Anyway, for better or worse that is what I observed.

 

There is no transmission temperature indicator. I suspect you are looking at the oil temperature.

Have you ever read the owners manual?

 

Dang--I know that. Not sure why I said transmission other than I was going fast.

 

Thanks for the detailed data. I’ll compare it to mine.

 

This is mine after 20 minutes of non spirited driving around town today.
Alden
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mine runs at that temp all the time

 

That's not too cold, especially in cooler weather. As long as your oil temp is coming up, that water temp is 100% fine. In fact I'd say its great, considering how many of our cars are prone to going in the other direction and running too hot!

I say consider yourself lucky and enjoy.

 

Today, 95°F, sunny, at 50mph, rocksteady as usual:

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