(G) engine underheating...still

All I want is for my engine to reach the middle mark on the gauge like it says it should do in the Fiat manual but the car isn't having any of it.

I've have:
- completley replaced the piss poor air intake "design" from the old owner, and completely sealed any vaccum leaks
- removed all spark plugs and sanded the **** off them till ends were shiney
- removed the temp gauge sensor and sanded the **** off that till end was shiney, as well as the air intake sensor
- replaced the thermostat, (engine now heats up more than before but stops on the second bar from the bottom when driving),
- Countless amounts of reddex put into the tank
- replaced fuel filter
- Flushed and replaced coolant system, getting rid of airlocks in the process.
- re-wired the boot light

and the engine temp STILL wont get to the middle.....the fan kicks in just under the middle notch and it simply will not get any hotter than that (and thats when sitting in traffic). When driving it wont get any higher than the second notch.

The (gauge) temp sensor deffinatly works because it went sky high when replacing the coolant, and the new thermostat deffinatly works. I just do not know what is stopping it from running properly? please help

did you check the new thermostat fully opens before you fitted it? ive had duff new ones before now.

did you bleed the system cold and with engine off?

might sound a little simple but do you have a lot of faith in the temp gauge? maybe that is what the problem is,..,

he said at teh end.


but TBH I'm having the same prob, I changed my dial cluster for a friends that DOES get to halfway pretty quickly and behaves itself fan wise, and when fitted to my car, it behaved just the same as my unit.

its not so much the gauge, but the time taken for it to warm up is a joke, I've usually finished a 30min journey before its anywhere near warm and I have hot air thru vents.

changed coolant earlier in the year, but another thermo and more coolant should get it there. if not, I blame wiring, and I ain't touching that spagetti sht

That could be exactly the problem as the rear of the cluster doesnt have great block connectors on it, and we know what fiat are lke for wiring

yeah I do, they use 3rd party electric stuff rather than manufacturing their own cheapen'd in house junk, like ford, GM etc use.

just fiat can't put it together for toffees

My old Punto's fan used to kick in just below the halfway mark too if it's any consolation . Never used to go above half way either. That ran just fine.

mine also never climbs above the half way mark.

so i think that is normal for this model-as the owners handbook states on page 41-"temperature gauge should hover around middle of the scale(from1/4 to 3/4 of the scale depending on the running conditions)"

My last two punto's have ran at the 1/4 mark. Never thought anything about it before - Is this bad?