Thermostat issues
 

Ok, this might be a new trend, as we have recently replaced the camry's thermostat with a DEALERSHIP thermostat. And my DSM has a DEALERSHIP thermostat.

Both cars never get anywhere near normal operating temp.

On every car ever, if you turn the heat to max, it should be almost too much to bare.

On my DSM and the camry, the gauge never even comes close to 50% and the temp coming out of the vents reflects appropriately.

Today coming home in rush hour (stop and go) traffic the temp in the camry finally approached proper temp, and for the first time for a week I was warm.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? every other DSM I have ever driven has heated up instantly and has given blistering heat even in the worst winters.

Plz: no comments about how the car will run better cooler, i concede that cooler engine temps help on the track/dyno, but for fuel economy the engine needs to get nice and toasty.

Re: Thermostat issues
 

It's cold out...

Re: Thermostat issues
 

thats my point, the thermostat should NOT be opening until it reaches full operating temp.

I think that the auto companies are using weaker springs which work and prevent older cars from overheating, on the flip side they are almost always open allowing the car to cool down to almost nothing.

I remember one year where it was -40 windchill and I would cruise down 169 with the heat blasting in my face, it was great

That winter i never really had to put anything warm on, i just kinda ran to the car, and by the end of the block the car was warm

Re: Thermostat issues
 

My DSM, that runs HOT all the time, and even TOO HOT at times, runs COLD towards the end of fall. Like Shane said, I think it's just that cold out. Do you know for sure that your thermostat is prematurely opening? And how do you know that?

Re: Thermostat issues
 

-5 with a -6 windchill factor is colder for a car than 0 degrees with a -40 windchill factor. Maybe all the cold air is flow into the engine bay and cooling the motor too. Get some cardboard.

Re: Thermostat issues
 

QFT

Re: Thermostat issues
 

I was having a similar problem with my '96 AWD Talon, and I just replaced the thermostat last weekend with a stock temp one from O'Riley (hey, it was closer than any Mitsu dealer) and it warms up faster and gets warmer on the gauge than it ever did with the factory thermostat I took out. Not saying factory thermostats stink, just that mine was probably bad.

Travis

Re: Thermostat issues
 

Ideally heater output should be about 140 degrees, plus or minus maybe 10 degrees.

I agree its probably due to the fact its really cold out, and you probably have a 4 cylinder car. That toyota is all Alum. where as we luckily have a nice iron block in our DSMs...

I'd try the cardboard.

Re: Thermostat issues
 

still dont know why people us dealer parts, it's not like they make them they buy them from the same places that the parts stores do. plus its cold, put your hand out the window at 60 mph at 0 defrees and see for yourself.

Re: Thermostat issues
 

I don't believe it is ever too cold out for the car to be running cold. It should be warmed up. The exiting cooling line ideally should be underneath the exhaust manifold like on the 4g63.

There are a wide variety of thermostat out there.

When I went to the parts store, they turned the screen and showed me a list of all the different temps that the thermostat can open up at

Stock it should open at 180 degrees

You can buy one for 160 but I wouldn't because the stock ECU doesn't considered that warmed up and will use a warmup enrichment (this is mostly why you would get bad fuel economy. Cars do get better fuel milage when toasty but the warmup enrichment would mostly cause bad gas milage then a cold engine.) I don't know if dsm link has a feature that would let you lower the the warmup enrichment but I know MS system and most standalones do.

You can also buy one for 195 probably if your car needs to run warmer in the winter

So pick one inbetween.

My stock one went bad and the car blew in cold air all of the time. Also took a long time for it to warm up. Replaced it and got warm right away.

+1 for parts store. Dealer is way to expensive for small parts like this.