Is the temp gauge starting all the way at cold in 70 degree weather normal?
Posted by LibraryAffectionate8@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 6 comments
The temp gauge of my car always starts all the way at cold even in 70 degree weather and i don’t know if it’s normal. For background my car is a Lexus ls460 2010
WizeAdz@reddit
Yes.
Engine coolant runs about 190°F in a fully warmed up engine, and the exhaust gas temperature can be on the order of 1500°F or so.
So 70°F is cold in that context.
Also, the temperature gauges in some modern cars (including a GM pickup truck I own) are really 3-position indicator that show “cold”, “normal”, and “ploblem” as determined by the ECU (“engine control unit”). This is very obvious when you hook up an electronic gauge to the OBDII port that reports the actual numbers the ECU sees. When those numbers vary within the expected range, the needle on my dash gauge stays is the “normal” position.
My context; I tow with this truck, so keeping an eye on the real temperatures was a good idea while I was getting to know its capabilities. If you want to see the real numbers on your dashboard, I used a nearly-20-year-old ScanGauge ][ until I learned that cooling on my truck is pretty good: https://www.scangauge.com/
LibraryAffectionate8@reddit (OP)
Thank you for the knowledge
jasonsong86@reddit
Oh yea. The temp gauge probably go from like 120.
TheCamoTrooper@reddit
Normal operating temp is around 80⁰ C so the car will always start all the way at cold regardless of -50 or +20, only difference is in -50 it takes a lot longer to warm up
Ok-Tangelo4024@reddit
Normal operating temp for most cars is between 180 and 210F. The gauge probably doesn't even move until the engine is over 100 or 120F. It's perfectly normal for the gauge not to move until the car has run for a bit.
Potential_Stomach_10@reddit
Yes