I have recently noticed that my 2008 Accord 4 cyl. does not warm up all the way to the middle of the temperature gauge. This is even after 30-45 minutes of driving. I never really payed attention before to where the temperature gauge was normally at during regular driving conditions. Right now my gauge gets about 1/3 of the way across the gauge suggesting that the car is running cold. Where are your guys' water temp gauges at during normal driving conditions? are they in the middle? I wonder if my thermostat is stuck open or something. I have also noticed a slight decrease in MPG and was wondering if this may be the culprit. Thanks for your guys imput.
What is normal water temperature?
sbct
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I have recently noticed that my 2008 Accord 4 cyl. does not warm up all the way to the middle of the temperature gauge. This is even after 30-45 minutes of driving. I never really payed attention before to where the temperature gauge was normally at during regular driving conditions. Right now my gauge gets about 1/3 of the way across the gauge suggesting that the car is running cold. Where are your guys' water temp gauges at during normal driving conditions? are they in the middle? I wonder if my thermostat is stuck open or something. I have also noticed a slight decrease in MPG and was wondering if this may be the culprit. Thanks for your guys imput.
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mine's smack in the middle - pull a plug and see if it looks like this:
if it's black and oily, you could have a temp problem which leads to a rich (choke) position...
if it's black and oily, you could have a temp problem which leads to a rich (choke) position...
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Temps usually run around 180-190°. When you have time start the cold car up and keep checking the top radiator hose. When the thermostat opens the hose and the top of the radiator will suddenly get real hot. If it gradually gets hot or really doesn't get hot then you might have an opened thermostat. Good luck. Any consolation I would rather have a stuck open one than a stuck shut one. Gives you a little time to get it fixed. By the way my V6 gauge pegs a little under half and my Ford Ranger a little over half. I think the important thing is the gauge doesn't move much either way.
Mine never reaches further than 1/3 of the way up. 2012 4 cyl, 2000 miles. Runs perfectly. What I do like about my first Accord, among many things, is the way it heats up and starts throwing warm air within about 1/2 mile. My GTO with a 5.7L V8 takes about 10 miles to heat up fully, and that's with a new thermostat.
I've read here that the A/C in the Accord is crap though. We'll soon see. I haven't even tested it yet.
I've read here that the A/C in the Accord is crap though. We'll soon see. I haven't even tested it yet.
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because you read it, you automatically believe that? I'm in south florida with my 2nd accord in 5 years and the a/c has been fine..more than equal to other cars i have owned here...
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the a/c in my car, once i get most of the moisture out, and set it to recirc, blows out ice cubes. it was great when i was on florida a couple weeks ago. :banana::notworthy
Did I say I believed it? I said I READ it, and that I will soon verify it or not. I don't live in south Florida. But, I'm glad to read that yours is fine. That makes one for and one against. :thmsup:
I've also read many posts here that say the leather seats are shit*y and comparable to what Chevy put in the Cobalt, and that the fake vinyl armrest is crap, the V6 burns oil.....etc. I can attest to the Cobalt seats, but not the leather, and my armrest came with cheap cloth fabric and not the bubbling leatherette.
Other than some of the USSR era ergonomics the car runs and drives great. It's great mechanically, not aesthetically.
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There's only one way to truly find out what temp your coolant is running at... You need a scangauge or a similar device that can read the coolant temps off of the ECU's OBD2 port. Normal range is usually 170-200F. If it never reaches 170 (especially on the highway), then you have a stuck thermostat. The analog gauge in your dash is not very accurate at all.
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OBD2 is the way to go. The needle is really non-linear. Comes off the peg at around 135F, I think settles around 1/3 of the way up. Operating temperature is around 185F, but during idle at a light it'll heatsoak up to 200-205, but the needle never moves.
Fortunately for you, I have videos of my gauge cluster:
![]()
Fortunately for you, I have videos of my gauge cluster:
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true statement... if your temp gauge starts climbing above halfway towards red, you're already in bad shape. the temp needles on hondas are dampered, so they take a while to show an accurate reading.
Thanks for the picture. Mine reads very similar to yours so maybe its nothing...
Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
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mine is around that mark, maybe a touch higher, when it's warmed up. nothing to worry about...
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It has been 7-years since someone added to this post. For those of you who have a 1994 Honda that is still on the road (such as mine out here in the Mojave Desert) 100F++ outside temps are common place. With AC going full-blast on a 105F day, my 1994 Accord LX will run 1/2 - 3/4. If going up a big hill, the temp gauge will show all the way to the HIGH WHITE LINE. BUT does not go into the red. This is the key, does not go into the red.
My original owner's manual confirms that this is NORMAL for the gauge to go all the way up to the high-white mark under hot and uphill conditions especially when running the AC. According to Honda, normal operating temperatures are between to the two white lines. In an effort to try and prove Honda wrong, I have jumped out of the car, popped the hood and with the gauge all the way to the high-white marker and checked the radiator hoses with an infra-red gun - 190-200F usually with no steam or smoke. It is freaky and makes you feel uneasy, but apparently in 1994 this is how Honda designed the cooling gauge system - there is not much variance in temperature from 1/3 to 7/8 (170F - 190F) on the gauge - but it takes a lot more heat to push the gauge into the red (230F) ........ Honda is a weird company and designed somewhat impractical functionality during the early 90's - but the 1994-1999 is still a good car as there are still a lot of us on the road.
My original owner's manual confirms that this is NORMAL for the gauge to go all the way up to the high-white mark under hot and uphill conditions especially when running the AC. According to Honda, normal operating temperatures are between to the two white lines. In an effort to try and prove Honda wrong, I have jumped out of the car, popped the hood and with the gauge all the way to the high-white marker and checked the radiator hoses with an infra-red gun - 190-200F usually with no steam or smoke. It is freaky and makes you feel uneasy, but apparently in 1994 this is how Honda designed the cooling gauge system - there is not much variance in temperature from 1/3 to 7/8 (170F - 190F) on the gauge - but it takes a lot more heat to push the gauge into the red (230F) ........ Honda is a weird company and designed somewhat impractical functionality during the early 90's - but the 1994-1999 is still a good car as there are still a lot of us on the road.
The guage on my 8th gen V6 stays in the middle but as other members have pointed out it's only an approximation. The AC, with 145k miles, is excellent. It stays over 100f for 4-months where I live and the car is very cool and comfortable.
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In days of yore, the temperature gauge read what the temperature was as you are finding.
If it got warm it would point to the high side but not into the red danger zone until it was REALLY hot. As you have found.
Too many folks got bent out of shape watching the needle dip and dive when diving around and scared when stopping at a stop sign, watch the temperature rise high then precipitously fall when they started moving (airflow increases naturally across the radiator), SO.......
The industry decided to let the gauge almost always point to the center and only when a dangerous heat load occurred would it actually read high.
the temperature still to this day alternates with temperature swings but since the needle is complacently in the mid range no one worries.
If it got warm it would point to the high side but not into the red danger zone until it was REALLY hot. As you have found.
Too many folks got bent out of shape watching the needle dip and dive when diving around and scared when stopping at a stop sign, watch the temperature rise high then precipitously fall when they started moving (airflow increases naturally across the radiator), SO.......
The industry decided to let the gauge almost always point to the center and only when a dangerous heat load occurred would it actually read high.
the temperature still to this day alternates with temperature swings but since the needle is complacently in the mid range no one worries.
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My 2003 Accord 2.4L temp gauge runs just to the left of the middle, which is about 186deg. I’ve owned it since new and the car and engine has 270,000 miles and doesn’t use any oil at all. Regarding Malcomex comment above about hearing Accords A/C is crap, my Accord is now 23 years old and the only thing I’ve done with the A/C is last year I added the first can of refrigerant and that’s it! A/C is unbelievably reliable in the car😊!
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