My 2006 Pontiac Pursuit coolant system is reading an average temperature of 52.3 °C from my last five trips. Is this normal? It has also been around -10°C the past couple days.
2 Answers
What is that like 123° F...? So this is a low reading. Vehicles have a 195° thermostat in them. You may need to change out the thermostat. In the real extreme cold, like -10°F and below I could see it running at no lower than 180°F down the road.
One old trick you could use to check this is to cut a piece of cardboard the size of your radiator and slip it in front of the radiator before you drive the car. This will reduce the cooling effect of the radiator and raise the coolant temp circulating in your engine and, hopefully, open your thermostat. If it does not work, then replace the thermostat because nothing is getting to your radiator.