Hi again :0)

Just wondering if my tmep needle if behaving normally, it goes to 90 then drops back down to 81/82. it then steadily climbs back to 90, sits there for a bit then drops to 81/81 again, it does this continuously.

I remember when my temp sender went wrong the needle was all over the place, this is no where near as bad. I have however replaced the temp sensor anyway, just to be certain.

I dont remember the needle moving 8 or so degrees after replacing the temp sensor last time, but then it wasnt as cold. I am guessing the thermostat is opening and closing causing this difference, but is the needle not supposed to sit rock solid on 90c?

Thanks in advance for any help.

PS: where the heck is the thermostat located? cant see it anywhere.

Does it rise sat in traffic? If so sounds like the thermostat.

Do a search and youll see some replacement guides, its fiddly and you need a decent socket set with extension bars to do it.

Sounds about right. The thermostat is on the front of the block, just to the right of the alternator. You'll have to take off the plastic guard and the metal panel underneath that attaches to the dipstick. The thermostat is under a black plastic pipe connector with two bolts.

aha thanks :0)

The temp sits comfortably at 90c when stationary, its only when driving about 50 - 70 it tends to drop to 81 ish, then rises back to 90 after about 20-30 secs

Mine would drop like a rock if I used the heating on high. Eventually it'd take anything up to 10 miles to get to 90 on the gauge. When you see the actual temperature coming back through the diagnostic kit it's nothing like the reading on the gauge - it appears to read 90 at anything from 80 to around 110

I would say it is the thermostat, just replaced mine for the sum of about a tenner and needle sits at a steady 90ºc now !!

Sounds similar to the problem I had, which was fixed by a new stat.

Mine would sit at 90 when stationary, or when on the throttle. But when coasting, coming down hills or on a very light throttle, it would drop down to 70-80 and only go back up to 90 if I either stopped in traffic or gave it some beans. The engine seemed to warm up as quickly as normal, so the stat wasn't stuck open. It just took too long to close once it had opened. I confirmed this with a pan of boiling water and a bit of string!

The genuine stat and o-ring cost £26 from the dealer. Beware of cheap pattern parts, as they are well known on here for failing.