I recently noticed that my '06 TSX doesn't heat up like I expect it to. In every other vehicle I've owned the needle always stays right in the center of the gague. The one in this car stays completely below the thermometer icon. Is this normal, or should I change the thermostat?

 

It means our TSX have good cooling


My car idles at 2000 rpm if it's really cold outside....

 

As long as it reaches between 1/3 and halfway, it is fine.

 

yes its ok, my tsx never goes over the half way line, even after a drive nonstop to vegas.

on rest stops, most cars would pop their hood to cool down their engine, i didnt have to

 

I have the same thing as Visuelz since my car idles at about 2K when it's freezing outside like 20 degrees or less. I have an 08 and my needle stays under the thermo too so no worries.

 

^^^ It's supposed to do that. It's so the engine can get to proper operating temperature more quickly. It would probably stall if it tried to idle at the normal 750 RPM at those temperatures. Think of it as the modern equivalent of the choke on carburated engines.

 

Well, I wouldn't say it'll stall. It would just take the car a much longer time to warm up. New record today, idling at 2100 rpm

 

Acura programmed the thermometer so that it sits below halfway when the engine is at its regular temperature. If it ever reaches halfway, it means you're overheating.

The next time you look at your thermometer, you'll notice that there is no gauge to tell you what temperature it is actually reading. There's no way to tell what the temperature is. This is because of the programming...1/3 of the way might mean regular operating temperature (X degrees to Y degrees). Halfway might be Y degrees to Z degrees, etc.

If there were an actual 1:1 ratio, then I would figure that they would at least put some markings on the meter.

Another way to think of it is to look at your fuel gauge. You might notice that it doesn't go down 1:1. It drops quicker in the first half, and then slows down for the second half.