I do have a real Guage. The car runs at 200 to 203 degrees almost all the time above 80 degrees outside. In winter it shows 190 to 195.

I am concerned about one thing. In long stretches of stop and go traffic where you don't get above 25mph, outside temp is above 91 degrees, AC on, my temp Guage goes up to 215 degrees. Never goes above that, but it sure seems to stay there for long periods.

If I do turn off the AC the temp drops 5 to 7 degrees. If the car gets moving above 35 or 40 MPH drops to 205 degrees in a few seconds. What got me concerned is that if I put her in neutral and raise rpms, temp drops a bit (I remember this was a sign of my defective water pump impellers- long sice replaced).

Thinking out loud, I suppose the thermostat is open at 215 and I'm watching the system cool it as best it can with available air flow under the aforementioned conditions.

After you've been in a situation where you overheat in the Hassidic section of New York city on a holiday evening with no cash, I'll admit I'm probably way over cautious, but let me ask: does this sound normal to you ?

John

 

I use Dash Command and I can see my thermostat open and run around 190. My car does exactly the same as yours. Keep in mind that the system is pressurized and as a result the boiling point of the coolant is around 230-250. I believe you are seeing your system work as it should.

 

As long as it reaches 215 primarily in stop and go traffic, and normally runs cooler than that, it sounds OK. 215 is the upper limit where the fans kick in when the system needs a cooling boost.

 

I use the Torque app on my phone and see the same temps under all the same ways you explained above. I would not worry about it.

 

Thanks to each of you, this is resolved. I appreciate it. John