Crv water temp

My sisters 98 honda crv temp gauge goes to 3 quarters for a bit when Idling for 3-4 minutes or more then goes back to half.

She bought it 6 months ago from org owner, all records EX condition.

She took it to trusted repairman and he checked it out and said when gauge gets to 3 quarters fan kicks on like it should so it is ok.

I do not believe this is normal??? What do you all think

The thermostat may be opening late. Try another thermostat.

what you describe sounds exactly like a temp gauge should read. it goes up, until the fan kicks on, then gets cooled down and the fan goes off.

as long as your car temp gauge is operating within the middle of the temp range, there is nothing wrong.

cappy are you saying your temp gauge goes from half to 3 quarters whenever it idols in your cars and trucks?

no, mine does not do that on a cyclical basis, BUT what yours is doing is within the range of normal operating temperature.

as HK says, the thermostat may be sticking, or operating sluggishly.

how long has this been doing this? any maintenance done since this started the “suspicious temp fluctuations”?

and yes, on a HOT day, when i traffic with the AC on, the temp does go up and down as the fan kicks on.

as an alternative the temp gauge may be going bad, and getting sensitive.

My 2000 CRV does not do this. The gauge only changes a minor amount- my wife cannot tell a difference. Not sure if they changed the gauge, but that is how my 2000 works.

ref

She just seen this in last 2 weeks but she said she cannot be sure it has not done it in the past.
8000mi ago new water pump timing belt and antifreeze at honda dealer.
This model needs valve adj every 30000mi or ex valves will burn and I am worried if it overheats just a little it will affect valves more.
If I find some people that say this is not normal it will help me get her to change thermastat, I am asking same q on other boards. thanks for the replays