Is my car getting too hot

[Johnnyb60]

Hi again,
With the warmer weather making an appearance I've been paying particular attention to the temp gauge.
I've noticed that cars temp gauge usually flutuates between 90 to 95 on the open road ,and in stop start traffic it will creep up to a shade under 100 before the low speed fan kicks in bringing it down to just over 90.
With the aircon on it runs slightly hotter but it never goes over 100.
Is this normal for the 2 litre petrol Pug.
Kind Regards
Johnny

[Johnnyb60]

Hi
Another quick bump on this question just incase anybody reads and wants to reply.
Is my car behaving normally regarding it's engine temperature.
From a cold start the temp gauge rises briefly to around 100c before dropping quickly to just over 90.
It will then fluctuate from between 91 to around 95 on the open road regardless to whether I'm driving it hard or gently.
In slow or stop start traffic the temp will creep up to just under 100 before the fan kicks in bringing the temp down to around 91.
The oil temp always stays at around 92/3 degrees.
I've never owned a car before were ive ever noticed such a variation in its temp.All previous cars I've owned the temp gauge has always sat static once warmed up.
Kind Regards,.
Johnny.

[IanL]

I think it depends how sensitive the gauge is to fluctuations. The 205 seems very sensitive, whereas a lot of cars have a more damped response, which masks fluctuations more. The fluctuations you see are how the thermostat responds to temperature - it is a fairly crude device.

[Johnnyb60]

Thank you Ian for taking the time to reply.
That was the impression I was getting looking at the temp gauge but wasn't 100 % sure.
So from judging what you say/think we can say a lot of cars will display the temp needle as (for argument sake) 90 degrees and will not move even if the actual temp were to be either 80 or 100 degrees (dampened as you rightly say).
The 206 cc temp gauge though will display the flutuating temp as the thermostat opens and closes naturally.
I seem to recall my Citroen ZX behaved in the same manor.
I suppose a dampened gauge takes the anxiety away of people getting to obsessed with whether their cars are getting to hot..
All the very best,
Johnny

[Johnnyb60]

A quick update,
I was still not happy/comfortable seeing my temp gauge rising to 3/4 (100 degrees) when starting off from a cold start, and then seeing the temp drop rapidly and fluctuate from anything between 90 to 95 degrees along the open road.
I decided to replace the thermostat and it's now behaving it's self.
It now warms up to around 90 and it stays there with hardly any flutuations.
The old thermostat was only changed last year (old one stuck open) and it's replacement seemed to of failed early by becoming sticky.
It wasn't opening gradually,but more of a all or nothing situation.
Finger's crossed the new thermostat will give me many trouble free miles to come,
Kind Regards,
Johnny

[samlevy0515]

This is standard behavior for our 2L engines in summer, my car does the same. Just to be thorough, have you noticed any change in how quickly it reaches that temperature?

[Johnnyb60]

Hi samlevy0515
Thanks for replying in this very somewhat quiet place.
Since I've changed the thermostat I would say it warms up a bit slower ( gets to full operating temp in around three/four miles) .It now runs at a solid 91 degrees under all conditions.
Before with the "sticky" thermostat it would get to around 100 degrees within two miles and then the temp would drop sharply to around 90c and then it would fluctuate ,anything from 91 to just under 100c along the open road.
It was never really running at a stable temperature which started to me feel nervous ,but now it sits a shade over 90 whether I'm driving it hard, gently or in stop start traffic

I hope this makes sense,
All the very best and don't hesitate to ask anymore questions if you have any.
Johnny