Originally posted by phil:
More likely solution: I suspect your thermostat is stuck open ( at least some of the time).

Your temp gauge will stay low, because the engine is being over-cooled. Of course, the engine controller will (eventually) figure out that it's not getting warm enough to consistently get into closed-loop operation.

I'll bet you've also noticed that the heater isn't working very well, either. This is exactly what my Windstar did, just a few weeks ago. A new thermostat cured all.




Hmm... you might be right. So should I start by replacing the thermostat, and then see what happens? I've heard that u shouldn't get a 180 degree thermostat because it runs too cold and affects gas mileage.
And my heater does work, but maybe not very well. I was thinking that maybe it wasn't as hot as it used to be, or that it took longer to get hot, I thought maybe I was imagining it, but probably not.

If y'all could give me some tips on what thermostat to get I'll probably start there. Thanks!
-Peter