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I've got the feeling I'm running cold. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for the temperature gauge to go half way when driving?

Down hill 20 minuets ! Uphill 5
Minuets...I'm no ordinary dancer?!

Hello,

Sorry, but I just could not resist..

Sir Brixalot wrote:I've got the feeling I'm running cold.

A big 1 gram paracetamol, a good whiskey with honey and lemon..

Can anyone tell me how long it takes for the temperature gauge to go half way when driving?

Temperature gauge.......

Aircooled Bliss..

Cordialement,

if you take it for a 10-15 minute drive then park up and leave it running fan should come on after a few (say5-10) minutes, if it does then temp is fine and the gauge is lying, usually due to corrosion in the wiring at the temp sender plug or bad earth; before you start replacing things you want to know how hot it really is

if you check the big hoses from the thermostat housing you should be able to feel when the thermostat opens as the cold one will suddenly warm up as the thermostat opens and allows coolant from the radiator back into the engine, if the big hoses and the heater hoses are all equal temps and warm up at the same rate but don't get properly touch hot then suspect the thermostat has failed open

low engine temp will affect the fuel economy

Sir Brixalot wrote:I've got the feeling I'm running cold. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for the temperature gauge to go half way when driving?

It should be within a few short minutes, and it shouldn't ever dip back below the normal mid point, wherever that may be on your van.

If it does, or it takes ages to warm up, your thermostat's not closing.

Ambient temperature does delay it a bit if it's freezing cold.
Mine takes 15-20 mins on the drive at tickover
Out on the road it's a lot less.

Thank you gents. I#ll check the pipes tomorrow but It took nearly 25 minutes whilst driving today. Looks like yet another thermostat is in order.

Sir Brixalot wrote:Looks like yet another thermostat is in order.

That suggests you're buying 'em from the wrong place...

AdrianC wrote:

Sir Brixalot wrote:Looks like yet another thermostat is in order.

That suggests you're buying 'em from the wrong place...

or it's in upside down?

right way up with the bypass valve at the bottom

Do you know yet if it is taking a long time to warm up, or if it's just the gauge?

I'll check the sensor tomorrow. The thermostat definitely in the right way and has been working.

E D I T. Just checked and on balance I'm going for thermostat, the sensor is new(although that doesn't necessarily mean it's working!). The temperature gauge went to half way and the smaller water pipes were warm not hot to touch and the big pipe was neutral and on a freezing day like this it should be cold. Grabbed an exhaust pipe by mistake. That hurts!

I live about two miles from the motorway and my heater kicks in before I get to the next junction.
My sensor failed a couple of months ago and at running temperature the new one sends the needle a bit past the middle where it stays throughout the journey. Having worked in temperature controls and instrumentation in a previous life I am fairly comfortable with this as all was well before and after the change and there were only a few days between failure and replacement. I guess I got a new sensor which was close to or slightly outside the upper (lower resistance) specification.
CS

New thermostat in. Took about 15 minutes so a bit faster but its not as cold today so it must be the sender which is also only about three months old. I'll just live with it.

BTW the old thermostat had sealant under it. I put the new one straight in without any sealant. time will tell if that was the right thing to do

Sir Brixalot wrote:I've got the feeling I'm running cold. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for the temperature gauge to go half way when driving?

There is some variation in the way individual gauges work. In hot weather, the needle on my temperature gauge sits at about a third of the way up, unless I'm stuck in traffic and it rises to just over half way up, then the fan kicks in.

As its damned cold outside the needle barely moves at all for the first ten minutes in town (although warm air is coming from the heater). Driving along the motorway this week, at a steady 55mph the needle sat at about a quarter the way up. Only when stuck in traffic did it rise to about a third of the way.

There does seem to be some variance.
Having said that SirBrixalot, you would know whether the range is considerably different than usual.

For info - Mine sits pretty much consistently just over half way once warmed up.
The needle covers half the LED and will move slightly to the right of it when sat in traffic on a hot day.