Quote:
Originally Posted by H-Man
My prizm will drop the needle fast if I run the heater at all, otherwise the needle lives within a tenth of a radian of the halfway point on the gauge.
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I assume you are talking about the OEM gauge, the first thing you need to understand is that the OEM gauges are designed to stay in one place until the S#it is just about to hit the fan.
Back in the good old days, (Frank Lee sounds like he was there) vehicle temp gauges did actually indicate engine coolant temps, but then in the late 70's, possibly when more women were driving and they are more fastidious than men, mechanics found they were getting too many complaints about temperature fluctuations, so rather than educating drivers the manufacturers designed gauges with a flat spot in the operating range, so the gauge rises quickly from cold to warm, then virtually stands still from warm to hot, then starts moving again just before the system overheats. Not really a good idea, but it gives the drivers that warm fuzzy feeling.
If you ask anyone with an aftermarket gauge they will tell you there is a normal operating range of around 10-15°C, there is no way that any engine sits at the same temp continuously unless it is running on flat ground at the same speed all the time.