UnsanePyro

My gas milage has been down a bit, and it seems like that temp guage is reading a little low, thermostat not opening up maybe?

meazz1

Mine has been that way since I bought the car.
I also put a new radiatoro and it's the same way. I think that's normal.
Don't waorry too much.

TLBaller

You beat me to making a thread like this.

You want your temp to be low!
Low = cool = good
High = hot = bad

I was stuck in traffic this morning and had just noticed this morning that my temp is high. almost near the top!! I know this signifies that the engine is hot. I had to switch lanes to pull over onto the shoulder and turn off the engine so it can cool. As I did this, I opened the hood to help cool the engine. You know how sometimes you turn off your car and the fan automatically turns on to cool the engine? Well just this morning, I noticed only 1 fan was running and the other did not!! Its no wonder my car was heating! No smoke was coming out of the engine or anything, just the temp gauge shows that its hot. I guess one of the fan motor isn't working. Do I have to change out the whole set (the whole set consist of 2 fans) or can I save money by just changing out the motor of the broken fan? How much does the whole set cost brand new??

Oh yeah once the fan automatically turned off, I sat in the car until traffic died down and I was on my way to work. of course the speed of the car cooled the engine but it was b/c of bumper to bumper traffic that caused the fan to not rotate. Don't both fans rotate when you drive? the motor starts working once you turn off the car, right?

UnsanePyro

Well, I know that is about where it supposed to be, in the middle, it just seems like it is sitting a little bit low, I seem to remember it being more level before, as opposed to how it is down just a bit now.

hinesktchp

thats how mine is always. even after like 3 hours of driving

ACURATECHTX

its perfect dont mess with it

snordhol

I was wondering the same thing when I saw that only one of my fans was spinning when the car was cooling down. I took it into the mechanic and was told that every thing is fine. The fan works, just not when the car is cooling down. To prove this, have the hood open and turn on the AC. Both fans will turn themselves on.

If you are overheating, it is not due to a broken fan motor. You should take it in for a more professional opinion.

Ken1997TL

My Civic, 2 Accords and current 2 TL's have ALWAYS been at that mark at the most. So it looks normal to me

TLBaller

thanks I didn't know that! WOW, aug 05 and only 3 posts?

TexasHonda

Cool is OK, that is it won't hurt anything, but not all good. If your engine runs below specification temp (~ 195F), the engine efficiency is reduced and fuel burn is increased. W/ the cost of gas, most folks want maximum fuel efficiency. That's why putting in a lower temperature thermostat is not necessarily good. If your car overheats something is wrong. Fan not working, bad thermostat, clogged radiator, pinched radiator hose, etc.

My 2.5TL runs exactly same position as the pics.

regards

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

i always thought that if your car is running hot, not to shut of the car... u want the engine running to keep the coolant circulating... and turn on your heat to max...

noRe456

i think that is perfectly normal...my temp guage is always a little bit below the middle... thats the cars normal operating temperature i think. its fine.. dont worry about it... you should start worrying when it goes above the middle. other then that.. your fine

TLBaller

i was stuck in traffic and the car wasn't moving so no air is blowing into the radiator. the needle was almost to the red line! i had no choice but to turn it off

How much is a new thermostat and a new radiator?

TLO03

that's what mine says, plus dude it's winter, in the summer i've seen mine a tick higher.

roll til the wheels fall off..........

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

thermostat is cheap.. like 10-20 bucks... radiator->EBAY!!!

HQuakers

perfecto

TLBaller

no shit?? cam on!

vishnus11

no shit TLBaller....got my radiator for our 95 Accord Coupe off eBay...33 bucks plus 22 dollars shipping...NO JOKE! Seemed to be a reputable guy called "theradiatorconnection" - offered a warranty and offered free shipping of unit back to warehouse etc. if it was defective. He had 5600 ish feedback scores at his feedback rating was 100%...i said what the heck..why not...

3 months, 5000 miles later...still running good...put the radiator in myself - hoses were a pain to take off and put on, but other than that, everythings good.

Im not sure if the guy carries a 3.2Tl radiator but u can find out. Good luck

Ken1997TL

You could just need a coolant flush..

I had the same thing happen to me. The needle went towards the top. Took it in the same day, mechanic said i needed a flush and the problem went away

erdoc48

If your car always ran at that temp on the gauge, I wouldn't worry. But, since you have 146K on the car, I would get concerned about the thermostat- if it's defective and stuck open or partially so, it'll allow the coolant to freely flow between the block and the radiator without being fully warmed, and therefore it's not up to the proper operating temp. Two results of this: engine doesn't run as efficiently as it's supposed to (obviously, this won't harm the engine), and you will have less heat out of the HVAC in the winter. If it gets stuck shut, the engine is going to overheat. Just a thought.