My temperature gauge shows my Impala running really cool, like in the 150-160 degree range. I thought the thermostat was for 185. Whats the story?
The gauge is functioning exactly as it is designed. The temperature indicated by the gauge is absolutely and totally accurate, for the position on the engine that the sending unit is mounted! To understand this, first note that there are two temperature senders on the Impala. The one on the RH cylinder head is for the gauge only, while the one on the front of the engine in the water pump is for the PCM. Now remember that this engine is reverse flow cooled. This means that cold coolant entering the engine from the radiator is directed to the heads first, which is exactly why the gauge sending unit reads low compared to what the PCM sending unit sees. The PCM sending unit sees actual engine coolant temperature, and is not hit by the flow of cold coolant directly from the radiator. If there is a problem with the gauge at all, it is certainly not that it is inaccurate.
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