How fast should the thermostat open?

Slightly off topic, i would not trust the temp gauge.
Most manufactures rig the gauges to stay nice and level when within normal driving
conditions. The thinking is that some drivers would panic if the needle starts rising.
For example my old Shogun had a normal operating temp of 88C.
The original temp gauge would read dead center from 60C to 102C. :blink:
The moment it reached 104C the standard gauge would shoot strait to the red. :evil:
All engines fluctuate depending on load, i just wish the gauge would tell the truth.

Same reason they don't have the temperature written on the gauge. Most people would go nuts if they saw it get to 'boiling point' at 100 degrees.

My Alfa is just the same. Driving around town or on the open road at a rate of knots,
the gauge just sits in the middle. :ohmy:

Drove mine today and ran for a minute on cold idle whilst I locked the garage behind me and did about 1/8 mile and the scangauge showed the coolant temperature at 86'c already!

So mine warms up pretty quickly.

Kirkynut

Where is the sensor located? Or do you use the original sesor connected to a different gauge?

Busta wrote: Mine starts blowing hot air before the gauge gets to the middle. I'd say hot air in 3 minutes, gauge levels out at 5 minutes. That's a M13a, driving straight onto fast country roads. 5 minutes doesn't sound preposterous though. Ever driven a Landrover Defender? By the time the heater starts to work it's summer again.

I timed mine today and it's pretty much the same as yours. As soon as the needle gets above the lower line (3-4 mins) the heater can produce some warm air, by the time it reaches the middle the air is quite hot.