2015 Acura TLX engine temp issues
 

Hi I have the 2.4L variant of the 2015 tlx. When the temperature is -10C (14F) or lower I leave the HVAC system off until the car is at operating temperature (coolant gauge displays right below middle mark). Once the car is warmed up i turn the HVAC system on to heat up the interior and have it set to about 22C (71F) and I can watch the temperature gauge on the dash drop to about 1/4 way. This would be while im driving around 60km/h in the city.

Has anyone else noticed this, is this normal?

Thanks!

Does it stay that way or eventually move back up? I don't have a TLX but that doesn't seem normal. The thermostat should stay closed until the car gets to operating temp, and even once it opens, it should re-close if the temp drops below about 170F - 180F. The 4G TL has a 172F thermostat and I'm betting it's the same on the TLX.

I'd be surprised to see a defective thermostat on that new of a car, but there's a chance it's staying open a little bit even when the temp drops below 170F. I've had my car's temp drop well into 160F when it's really cold and I'm driving down the canyon with literally no throttle for 10-15 minutes going 70-80 MPH but that's an extreme situation with below freezing temps and essentially no heat input to the engine at a high speed. If you're driving around town, I don't think that should be happening.

You might want to take it into the dealer if you have any warranty left and tell them about it. Having said all of that though, it's certainly not going to harm the engine. The engine operates best as 180F - 210F since the combustion process is tuned to run best at that temp. But if it's dropping down a quarter, it's likely still around 150F or so, which isn't going to affect things all that much. Worst case scenario, the ECU will run the fuel/air mixture a bit rich which will affect your fuel economy a bit.

Oh, and sorry for all the imperical measurements there. You know us 'muricans. We refuse to adopt to the other 95% of the world for some reason.

Nope, but i'll look tomorrow. Not sure why you wouldn't just leave it on auto at whatever temperature you want so it comes on automatically. The heated seats and steering wheel and windshield do just fine until the HVAC comes on.

It will actually just stay there, unless I give it more throttle (cruse around 2500rpm). I have a few months of warranty left so ill be taking it to the dealer to get them to look at ! hahaha thought about y'all down south and put in some of the murica' units to help you out! Thanks!

Well I have it on auto, even after about 20 minutes it does not let the car warm up! but when I do turn it on I leave it on auto!

It will actually just stay there, unless I give it more throttle (cruse around 2500rpm). I have a few months of warranty left so ill be taking it to the dealer to get them to look at ! hahaha thought about y'all down south and put in some of the murica' units to help you out! Thanks!

Why not just leave it in auto? Temp drop is most likely caused because you are adding another heat exchanger (radiator) to the system increasing the cars cooling capacity by X%. Back in the bad old days a quick fix when a car was overheating was to run the heater full blast in the summer. till you could get to a place to check it out.

14*F would be real cold here but we do get into the 20's. Usually have some warm air in about a mile at 45/50MPH. Agree get the seat/wheel heat on right away. The cars have an electric control valve that pulls hot water from the cylinder head into the heater core till the rest of the system comes up to temperature.

I never put my climate control on auto. One reason is the continuous cycling of the AC compressor, even in the winter, which reduces it's life and your fuel mileage. If you have a lot of humidity in the winter then it's helpful to get rid of that but otherwise it's a waste. Second is that I don't always like the vents that "auto" chooses. Sometimes I prefer heat to come out of the top vents rather than bottom only. Same with AC in the summer. Having bi-level on cools my feet :tongue: On auto it chooses for you.

If you do that you should still run it at least once a week. Personally can't see any reason not to leave it in auto.

Similar issue
 

Can't replicate the problem On all 3 of my TLXs, leaving it in Auto other than for rapid defrost , which with the heated windshield is usually a very short time, is a good thing. The Climate Control is a real under appreciated strong suit of this vehicle.