[Piwoslaw]

I had the ScanGauge hooked up and today was one of the few when the OBD socket worked, so I could keep an eye on how fast the engine warms up: It was -7°C this morning, and the engine warmed up relatively quickly to about 38-39°C, after that it was VERY slow, barely inching up degree by degree. I admit that we needed cabin heat, but suddenly switching the heat on did not make the coolant temp plumet (like in Svietlana's larger turbodiesel). By the end of our 50-60 minute trip across town the coolant temp only got to 73°C. Like I mentioned in the intro, the engine bay is wide open and uninsulated, only a partial block on the lower grille.

I know that the engine can get hotter, the hood is usually hot in warmer weather and I've heard the fan on a few occasions, so can I assume such low engine temperatures today where because of the cold weather, not because of a faulty thermostat for example?