[spacemanspif]

Went for a long drive today that was a mix of highway and traffic. Watching my scangauge while driving a noticed some things about my running temps and wanted to see if anyone has seen similar things. 2007 wagon with 2.0 duratec and 154k miles. Just bought the car and carfax says its been dealer serviced it's whole life, coolant is clear gold and freshly flushed by dealer forn 150k service.

Anyway, while at 70mph the temp rides at 190F but at slower speeds will dip lower. Sitting in stop and go traffic the temp rose to just over 200F while moving but sitting at a light would drop down to 180F. Not sure if my fans ever turned on, I still have yet to test if they kick on at a set temp (reading here seems they should turn on at 212F) but I do know they work with the AC on. 30 degree swings seems like a lot to me. I believe stock rating of the stat is 190F, correct?

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this or if I just have a slow responding stat that might need replacing eventually.

Thanks,

 

[FocusKnot]

The temps you are observing are perfectly normal...nothing to worry about. The stat basically controls the lower end of normal engine temps, and the fans control the upper end.

 

[spacemanspif]

I realize that but usually when you have a 190F stat it keeps the engine at 190F. I've never had a stat allow 20F lower than its rating while driving. So I'm wondering if this is the way it's actually supposed to work on these cars or if mine is a slow responder. If the latter, I'll plan on changing the stat in the future to keep operating temps high and hopefully MPG as well.

 

[amc49]

NEVER. A 195 stat generally averages around 205-210 on on old school cars that read temp directly. You always assume running temp around ten degrees higher than stat open temp. There is no stat on the planet that can regulate to the exact degree. The 195 is only the begin to open number, it is a restriction until fully open and why the difference. Good flow may not be till 205 for instance.

Stat has less overall temp control now because of all the bypass hoses that bypass it even if working right. For instance the heater loop pretty much works 100% of the time now. Engine then bypasses through the heater loop with stat closed.

30 degree temp swings are nothing on these engines, why you have TTY bolts holding it all together...............and why the temp needle probably does not reflect all that moving around either. It gets people unnecessarily excited over nothing.