messysc

It has consistently been right in the middle but over the last week it has been at around a quarter.
I am guessing that I have a stuck thermostat but I am not sure. Has anyone had this problem before?

wwest

In my experience thermostats typically stick closed leading to over-heating, don't know that I have ever had one stick "open".

You problem might be the sensor or the voltage control source for the gage itself, Gas gauge okay? Same voltage source typically.

messysc

all other gauges are fine and it starts out on cold and gradually moves up which leads me to believe it is working. Heat and a/c also function normally.

wwest

Very carefully, and I do mean VERY CAREFULLY, remove the radiator cap after having driven the car long enough for the gage to stabilize. Borrow your wife's probe style cooking thermometer (if she doesn't have one you can really get points by buying "her" one). The water at the top of the radiator should be very near the thermostat "opening" rating, 180F(??). If the water temperature is correct then you have a bad sensor or gage.

If you've never opened the radiator before under these circumstances then find someone who has and use their "guidance".

London Bill

If it's not the thermostat most probably the temp sensor has gone kaput.

messysc

I finally got around to checking out the thermostat and when I opened it up there was a friggin bolt sticking out of it!!
I don't know how it got in the coolant system but I took it out and now the temp is back to normal.

moshlub

BOLT?!?!? :eek: Sounds like the thermostat was stuck OPEN, causing coolant to flow all the time. When the thermostat is stuck open, coolant doesn't have enough time to gather heat from the engine, thereby leading to a low temperature reading of the coolant.

Jim Meader

My thermostate did the same thing, started reading low, check all your cars GROUNDS.

Any one of the grounds can have an adverse affect on all electrical including your ECU.

I had one ground wire that had lossened, onced tightened, thermostate worked just fine

SC4Hundred

My temp guage is normal, but when I open the hood in cold condition I found the coolant level to be normal and when I start up the car the coolant got suck up very quickly and then when I turn off the engine in 2 minutes the coolant gets back up, does that mean the thermostat is been open all the time?