All my other hondas and Acuras temp gauge needles have always been sitting just below the halfway mark. I had my thermostat replaced by the Acura dealer thinking that I had a stuck opened thermostat but after the thermostat change the temp needle is still at the 1/4 mark when engine is warmed up. I checked my upper and lower radiator hoses after a long drive and the upper hose was hot and the lower hose was cool. Any ideas what could be causing my needle not moving closer to the halfway mark like all my other hondas and acuras I've owned in the past?

 

Mine is right under the halfway mark.

Another TL I drove is also under the halfway mark.

When's the last time you drained the coolant?

 

Should be just under 1/2 way, but that isn't very accurate.

I installed an aftermarket water temp gauge and mine sits at 160 when driving and can go up to 185-190 when just Idling. I can tell when the fan kicks in because temps start dropping at idle.

 

Mine also sits at the 1/4 mark & I was worried. Took it to the dealer and they said engine operating temp and cabin heat is all good and working as intended.

I've kinda made a mental note to check other TL-S and some will sit 1/2 and other's sit at the 1/4 mark.

 

The Acura dealer did not drain the coolant when they replaced the thermostat. I will have them drain it at my next oil change and go from there. I've been reading other posts on this forum and saw someone mentioning that my coolant gauge temp sending unit could be faulty and causing the needle to not move closer to the halfway mark?

 

'I've been reading other posts on this forum and saw someone mentioning that my coolant gauge temp sending unit could be faulty and causing the needle to not move closer to the halfway mark?'

^^ This, exactly...what you may want to do is use an OBDII reader that will tell you the 'vitals' of the car (usually this requires an OBDII plug in unit and an app for your iPhone or Android). It's a little bit of money, but it'll be less expensive then changing parts that aren't required or paying for diagnostics that also aren't needed. The OBDII reader can be purchased on Amazon for ~ $20 or so. As long as you get an accurate read from the sensor/sending unit, even if the gauge reads lower than expected, there's nothing else to do. For the record, mine reads a little lower that half (and I have new antifreeze with my TB /water pump change and a new thermostat placed at the same time).

 

Mine sits like 3 or 4 ticks under 1/2.

 

do you view it as being half full or half empty?

 

Even better, does helen keller see it as half full or half empty?



Sorry, that was uncalled for.

 

 

That was a good laugh...

 

Also forgot to mention that I have almost no heat inside the cabin at idle. That is why I had the thermostat changed thinking it was stuck opened but even after thermostat change I still don't have heat at idle and my temp gauge needle hasnt moved higher than the 1/4 mark. I don't understand why some TLs temp gauge sit at 1/4 and some just below half. My CR-V temp gauge sits just below half which is why I think my TL has problem.

 

Sometimes I notice strange behavior on the temp gauge. It kinda looks like its showing more of a recent 'peak' temp rather than a real actual current temp. Or it could just be waiting for a larger change before it moves the needle.

Anyways, if I drive the car like a normal person on a cold day, the needle stays quite low. If I start it with a block heater and the coolant valve closed until the thermostat opens, it sits somewhere around 3/8 or so, or a bit under half. It won't appear to move back down, even if the coolant temp does indeed drop.

The difference between these two situations is the actual coolant temp. When monitored with a tool over OBDII, the coolant is colder when the gauge is lower. In cold weather my TL and my previous J30 vehicle run quite cold. Blasting the heat makes things considerably worse. It takes a solid 30+ minutes of driving with low or no heat for the engine to come up to steady operating temp in sub freezing weather. It's really kinda ridiculous, but appears to be functioning as designed. Back when I used to drive the TL in winter, I blocked off the entire front grille area and it helped. It still never got very hot, even at idle.

You should have heat at idle, however. That should have nothing to do with the thermostat sticking. Plus its really easy to see if the thermostat is sticking. Feel the upper and lower rad hoses with a cold, warm, and hot engine at idle for a few minutes. The lower hose should only have any warmth when the engine is hot.

 

my old 07 type s sat right at the half way mark. my current 08 type s sits at 1/4. my buddies 08 base sits the same place mine does and another friend i have with a 07 type s sits at half way... ive always wondered if it was just a 2008 deal.

 

I've been curious about this as well. I've had the car a very short time and it's bern driven from 20-55 degrees at my needle has only gone up about 1/4. See pic. It warms up fast and the heat works great but I am used to seeing Honda gauges closer to half...typically.

 

that must mean ALL our cars are fucked up then?

 

Mine is at half, so maybe!!!

 

my 08 sits at 1/4

 

This is a small thread but its my thought as well. Most base TLs and the 07 TL-S is near the halfway mark and the 08 TL-S is at 1/4. Interesting.

 

Yeah, my 08 TL-S sits at around 1/4 as well but that may just be how the gauge is configured. There is no way of finding out if operating temperature is different in 07 and 08 without hooking up OBD-II temp reader that gives the actual temp and not just a moving needle.

 

^thank you sir.


If you look at the gauge, there are no set parameters. just a hot middle and cold.

if the needle falls some where between the hot and cold......then your car is at perfect operating temperatures....meaning, you're good to go.

 

Sure thing buddy.

As long as we are all on the same page

 

Thanks for all your inputs folks. Dealer has checked for leaks and have not found any. Still taking a long time to get heat at idle...more than 30 min driving. They said a heater core flush is my next step.

 

my sit couple notches under half, make sure your thermostat isn't stuck open.

 

From what I've been reading, 07 and 08 have needle chilling at a different spot. It sits at 1/3rd in 08 TL-S..almost between 1/3rd and 1/4th. In 07 and before it used to be couple notches below half.

What OP is describing about car not heating up is something else though. Maybe fan is not turning off when it's supposed to?

How many miles on your 08 TL-S OP?