Now, I’m not sure if my mind is playing trick on me as to why I’m just now noticing this immediately after taking my car to the Lexus dealership for spark plug replacement and an oil change.
In the mornings I remote start the car for it to warm up in this cold winter, and no matter how long the engine stays on for, the temperature needle stays exactly where shown in the picture above.
Then as I drive off the car for about half mile or less, the needle settles in the middle perfectly fine.
I’m wondering if this is normal and I’m just noticing this since owning the car?
Probably best to use a scan tool to get an accurate report of the engine coolant temperature. In other words don’t depend entirely on the dash gauge. The dashboard gauges used on modern cars are often just an approximate representation of an actual gauge.
Agree with George. If the engine was running too cool and taking too long to warm up it likely would set an error code. Check it with a scanner and I’d also check it with an IR temp reader. It should be getting to 190-198 degrees when warm.
On top of the comments above, if no CEL is on and your heater works normal and the engine idles normal, I would not worry too much about it, just keep an eye on it… If it was much higher, we would be having a different conversation…
Engine coolant temp is one of many facts that can be displayed on an OBD2 code reader, while it is plugged in and whether the engine is running or not. I would trust that reading over the gauge, if there is a difference.
The thermostat could be starting to fail and is not fully shutting off the coolant flow. Is the upper radiator hose hot when the gauge shows below normal temperature?
