New 2020 RDX Tech, and the temp gauge sits at about 1/4 to 1/3 from the bottom. Outside temps here have been in the 20s and 30s (F). On my old car the temp gauge always sat at exactly 1/2 (once fully warmed up) regardless of the outside temp. Is this normal?

I tried to connect my OBD-II dongle and read the temps with Torque Pro, but it says there is no sensor available for engine or transmission temp. Seems odd...

 

Seems normal to me - mine is the same. I’ve had cars where normal temp was in the middle and I’ve had ones where normal was at the low end. There’s nothing empirical about it - just how they calibrate the display. I think my Honda was the same way.

 

My engine temp gauge usually sits at the 1/3 when warmed up. The problem is that my engine gauge has been fluctuating up and down while warming up. Sometimes it will show 1/10, then go back down to 0, then come back up, etc. It also.takes abnormally very long time to warm up. I've had it sit running in my garage for 15 min and the engine temp gauge still says 0.

Anyone else have this problem?

 

Don’t warm it up that way. Get it running, let the engine pick a warm-up rpm, and drive off. Drive gently until everything gets warmed, the coolant AND the oil before you get demanding of the engine.


https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...m-up-your-car/

 

Yeah, don't warm up the car beyond the few seconds it might take you to get comfortable, put on your seat belt, sunglasses, turn on the heated seats and steering wheel, etc. Just drive slow if you can. The car will warm up a lot faster if it's moving. You'll waste less gas and you'll get to work a little earlier. Also, idling only warms up the engine. The tires, tranny fluid, brake fluid, shocks/struts, etc., all stay stone cold until you start moving. So move.

Excessive idling for very long periods is also hell on the exhaust system. The exhaust system will overheat because the engine gases are still plenty hot but there's not as much pressure to expel them out the tail pipe. So, they build up and overheat the exhaust system, not to mention the exhaust valves.

And there are a lot of reasons not to leave your car running outside a 7-Eleven while you run in for a cup of coffee. Don't do that if you want your car to be there when you come out. Take your kid with you too.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/09...n-long-island/

 

Well I brought my car into the dealership because the AIS also stopped working around the same time, and they diagnosed the problem as a sunlight sensor issue. The technician found a problem with the battery that produced low voltage and replaced it but the issue did not go away. They then localized the issue to the sunlight sensor which wreaked havoc on the HVAC system which then disabled the AIS. Interestingly enough, this also did fix my engine temp gauge and now it warms up within 5 minutes of driving. I've never felt that there was a problem with the HVAC system to begin with and temps were fine in the vehicle.

Before, I would be idling and/or driving for more than 15 minutes and the engine gauge still stayed at 0 and the gauge would fluctuate up and down until it reached operating temperature. I've tried different ways of getting the car to warm up including the suggestions listed above.

 

wow, another example of the complexities of these newer vehicles! Sheez...
Now you see why the dealer just starts replacing stuff... too much time chasing rabbits down holes.

 

My 2019 A-spec temp gauge would go up to about the 7 mark of the techometer in about 10 minutes and that is as high as it would go.
I have also found that the hood is well insulated as it stays slightly warm to touch.

 

I started working on cars professionally while in high school. Yes, those old cars were much less complicated. Of course we changed the oil every 2,000 miles, did brake jobs after 20,000 or so, the engines needed valve jobs after 50,000 and were totally shot well before 100k. We had to flush the coolant system every two years, tires were lucky to go 20,000 miles, and they rusted out in a few years. Generators needed new brushes, the voltage regulator needed adjusting, batteries were dead in a year or two. Oh, and tune them up with new points and plugs every 12,000 miles. Every gas station had a two or three bay garage attached to repair cars.

Yeah, these new cars are just so bad.......

 

Ours is the same, it sits even with the seven on the tach.

 

same here exactly

 

If I need to get my radiator to the boil out tank every couple of years again, will I be pissed.

 

Sitting at 7 at the tach, about 40%, is measured at 167 degrees.
Measured by my obd plug.

 

update;
no matter what Temp the OBD device displays, the temp gauge still sits at that seven mark on the tach.
it might be a "calculated" temp.

 

So just as a reminder, what you did you do to make your idle stop stop working?

Generic OBD readers may not get the correct sensor reading.

Anyway, in typical use the "temp gauge" only needs to distinguish three conditions: ice cold, normal, boiling over. Anything else is for entertainment. Some would say the same about the tachometer. ( I say keep your grubby digital fingers off my analog gauges! And stay off my lawn! )