The engine temperature gauge on my 2008 acura tl does not go up to halfway(which I thought to be normal operating temp on most cars). It stops at about quarter up. The heat does work. My dad said this was normal but I don't think so. Any insight?

 

Welcome! If that's how it's been since you've purchased it, then it's normal.

 

Get it checked out. Could be a faulty thermostat. It could be stuck open. I'm pretty sure the car didnt come like that. It probably just happened.

 

i think mine stays below halfway (although not far) when warmed up.

 

Below halfway on the gauge is normal. If it takes 15 minutes or longer to register on the gauge while driving after a cold start, then you may have a stuck thermostat.

 

This is how far it goes to and then stops

 

it should be going up higher, it appears you have a stuck thermostat!

 

Thanks guys, I did buy a thermostat valve but after I took apart all the pieces, it just seemed impossible to replace under all those wires and at that angle. So I gave up. Just wanted to be sure it was the thermostat before attempt #2. It seems it's a lot more work than I thought it to be.

 

Also I forgot to mention it only has 32k miles on it. I would have thought thermostats lasted longer than that?

 

It could have been a dud from the factory, after all it's just wax that melts to open and close a valve!

Thermostat replacement shouldn't be that difficult. I'm going to find the DIY to it and post the link.

EDIT:

Post #9 in this thread:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/bleeding-coolant-system-antifreeze-thermostat-replacement-3g-garage-076-a-597680/

 

If you hook up an OBD scanner, what does it say for coolant temp?

 

I'm so surprised that a few of you think it's a stuck open thermostat. I've had my TL for 2 years now and it's a normal occurrence for the temp gauge to only go up about 35%. I can drive 45 minutes on the highway and the gauge will never reach the 1/2 mark. It's always 1/4-1/3 of the gauge.

Car purchased at 30k miles and now has 72k miles and it's been like this since I purchased it.

 

Thanks, yeah that's the one I referred to when I tried it.
I did get the car from a used car dealership a week ago, so I can assume its been sitting in the cold for a while. I haven't tried hooking it up to OBD, that will be my next move once I find time. What is the ideal temperature it should be? I just don't want to push it hard until it gets warmed up properly...

 

The temp gauges are buffered. It takes a fairly large swing in temperature to get the gauge to move. If the heater is putting out ok, it's probably fine. Make sure the gauge is right before screwing with the engine. Hook up a scanner and see what the temp is or shoot a temp on the radiator hose which isn't perfect but it will give you an idea of the temp.

In most of the cars I've driven with lower than stock thermostat settings, 160 degrees is about the threshold of low heater output. So if it's plenty warm it's very likely everything is normal.

 

I have the IDENTICAL gauge reading. It started suddenly from the normal position. I have replaced the thermostat and coolant temperature sensor. I'm officially unhappy at throwing those parts at it with no result. So what is the next step?? Some people here have called this normal, well it wasn't normal for the first year and a half I've had it. I'm at about 72k miles now.

 

Hmmmm... That is an odd one.


On the bright side, it's not overheating!!

 

for sure it's a good problem to have, the heater even seems almost normal. Maybe a little inconsistent on the temperature but not too bad.
But this can't be good for the engine, or it's just a gauge error. Surely the person who posted the identical problem has figured it out by now.

 

Get an OBDII reader and the Torque app (there are others as well) and see what the ECU is reporting the temp to be.

 

Interesting! To elaborate, he's speaking of the blue tooth OBDII dongles found on Amazon for 11-15 bucks

 

Actually, it will be the temp that the coolant temp sensor is reporting.... If it's ~185F after the engine is warmed up, then the sensor is fine and the coolant temp is fine.

 

in my 02 CL-S the temp gauge NEVER went above the 1/3 mark. If you put the heat on MAX and it roasts you out of the car, everything is as it should be. Same for my 2003 Subaru, temp goes to about 2/5 of the way up and the car will roast you out....

as for the OBD2 data engine temps should be holding right around 188-195F even when the outside air temps are in the negative range

 

Old thread but I'm having a similar problem with my 2005 RL. After warmup, it's gotten down to 171° while driving (according to ODBII) PLUS my oil life monitor has gone screwy. I'm 500 miles from it's 7k mile oil change, and the oil life JUST clicked down to 60% health. Not a chance that's correct. If it's not getting hot enough to get the cats hot enough, I'm in doubt this thing will pass the emissions inspection in two weeks. Running the heater doesn't seem to affect the temp.

 

Just an update - I've replaced the thermostat & it's still running at around the same temp. When the car started from cold, I noticed the top hose was getting warm before the engine had reached the 172° opening temp of the thermostat. COULD have been going through that burp valve or whatever, but something weird is going on here. I feel this is pretty important as the cats need to get to a certain temp to properly burn off what hits them. I've about had it with this car anyway, 160k miles and it's already blowing blue smoke just like my 1995 Legend... You'd think they'd have learned how to make valve stems not garbage after 10 years!

 

Your coolant temps will have very little to with your exhaust temps.

As for blowing blue smoke....that isn't really a common issue with these engines.