unheating engine?

**kmongru** · 12-03-2008 10:21 AM

hi, it seems to take a very long time for my car to reach normal operating temperature, around 90. I mean I drive for 30-40mins and it doesnt reach close to it, sometimes it seems to get colder? what could be the problem? could the thermostat be going?

**kampfer** · 12-03-2008 11:02 AM

Yeah, I think you hit that right on the nose. It's cheap and easy to do give it a try.

**oneighty** · 12-03-2008 11:21 AM

I second that, happened to my beater car last month. Thermostat fixed her right up.

**kmongru** · 12-03-2008 11:26 AM

awesome , thanks guys, ill give that a try

**Siena** · 12-03-2008 11:50 AM

Yeah. Sounds like your stat's stuck open, or partially open.

Causes the engine to over cool, and gas mileage figures will be bad.

**b5andm3** · 12-03-2008 11:52 AM

Whats the normal operating temp for the oil? mine usually hovers right around 200

**SurferForever** · 12-03-2008 12:05 PM

Could just be a bad temp sensor....

**kmongru** · 12-03-2008 12:07 PM

my oil in the wintertime hoovers around 70-80

**kampfer** · 12-03-2008 12:11 PM

I had a bad temp sensor, but I started overheating and ended up blowing the head gasket... one of the stupidest things I ever did

**zrowcool** · 12-03-2008 12:14 PM

mine is about the same. when im in traffic is goes up to the middle but when im moving on open road, the temp gets to the first line on the gauge. only happens in the cold, summer months it gets to the middle

**kmongru** · 12-03-2008 12:18 PM

how do you differentiate between a bad temp sensor and a bad thermostat?

**kampfer** · 12-03-2008 12:31 PM

Well, thats kind of hard to say but as far as my limited knowledge goes I can say that you would have a bad Tstat... because you don't warm up so it's most likely stuck open. However when a temp sensor goes it doesn't know the engine is getting hot, more specifically it doesn't know the coolant is getting hot.