Couple of questions 2004 360 Spider

I suspect your thermostat has stuck in the open position.

 

Definitely an indicator of a thermostat that's stuck open. 65 pound on eurospares, 125 and change on ricambi.

 

170 is normal operating temp... Not sure there is an issue here... Those reading are similar to mine after reaching full operating temp (and driving)

 

Open thermostat can still let the car reach normal op temp, just takes a while for it to get there. The other possibility is that the heater core is clogged. it's occasionally possible to push water through the reverse direction and remove whatever's gunked it up, but that doesn't always work. If it's been a while since coolant was flushed, and/or the heater core and thermostat haven't been replaced, i'd replace the thermostat first, and if the heater issues continue you'll be needing to at least try flushing the core (but be ready to replace entirely).


And yes OP, both mine and my wife's daily drivers are typically in the 190-220 range for water and oil temp both, depending on weather.

 

At the temperature shown on the oil temp gauge, it would be difficult to properly check the oil level.

 

I'm still of the "opinion" that your readings are normal and not to worry about. The 360 engine runs "cooler" than other cars I've had. I was surprised too when I first got my car. It's a 170* instead of a "standard" 185* thermostat.

This is coming straight from the Workshop Manual for reference (copy/paste here):

Cooling cycle
Fill the system as described (B 5.07). Before reaching 77°C - 170.6°F (B 5.03), the thermostatic valve is closed
and the radiator circuit is temporarily cut out. The cooling mixture flows out from the engine through the water
outlet manifolds (14) and cools the cylinders and heads through the special slits and channels. The coolant
then flows through the exchanger (15) and into the centrifugal pump (1).
Over the 79°C - 174.2°F threshold (B 5.03), the thermostatic starts opening, thereby allowing the mixture to pass
and flow to the radiators. The mixture then flows through the line (9A) and into the radiators (6) and (5). Once
cooled down, it will flow into the engine through the line (9B): the cycle will be so repeated.
System
The engine is cooIed by a pressurised circuit system (0.98 bar) through circulation of an anti-freeze mixture.

 

That's also about where my 05 spider sits while cruising.

 

That is normal temp whilst driving. Let it idle and it will hit much closer to 190 before going back to your photo.

 

I have an 09 430 and I was thinking the same thing you are. Even after banging around some corners and over a bridge with 8k rpm shifts the coolant temp never gets near 210. Seems like its under 200f even. This seemed weird seeing as my 911's temps regularly get over 212 oil and just over 200 coolant, with similar driving.

Going in for yearly maintenance with a trusted mechanic that has the same exact car in a couple weeks, so will update the thread if he says these temp reading aren't normal.

Different car for sure, but funny i thought the same thing and have the same readings.

 

Ah..... what? I don't see any problem with the temp readings in the photograph。 Why?

 

on the heater, rotate the fan know back and forth a few times, it should fire up.

 

Mine's sat at the same temps as yours whilst driving for the whole 7 years I've had it, even in the heat of Dubai it seldom got much higher than you're showing unless I was in very slow moving traffic.
The 360 is one of the coolest running cars I've ever had.

 

Hey it’s sort of a quirky HVAC control. May simply be user error (lord knows I’ve messed it up many times over the years). Read this short thread. -ray

Help Heater does not heat
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/index.php?threads/Help--Heater-does-not-heat.266730/


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat