Technical JTD running cold

[TangerineTractor]

The flying chicken is running cool - gauge gets up to near half way and drops back down to a third of the way again...

I'm assuming that it's the thermostatic switch for the cooling fan cutting in too low and/or not cutting out early enough? Question is, where is the stat and how easy is it to change? Or what else could it be?

 

[Shadeyman]

Judging by you other post you have the heating on.
https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/282506-no-heater-flow-footwells.html

This will pull heat away from the engine and cause it to run cooler.

 

[TangerineTractor]

Really? I've owned at least a dozen cars, and putting the heater on has never caused engine temperature to drop...
I'll test it tomorrow though.

 

[Shadeyman]

All 3 of our Stilos do it. The more heat you divert into the cab the more it draws away from the engine. Our Multiwagon runs smack on half way on the temp gauge unless the heating is on, then it drops.

 

[TangerineTractor]

Interesting... it used to be smack on halfway, but today it never quite got there...
Cruising at 60 on the motorway, putting the heater on definitely caused it to drop...

But then on normal roads, leaving the heater on, it was fluctuating up and down, but never quite reaching half way.

 

[Shadeyman]

On the motorway there's plenty of air passing through the radiator at a constant speed so the cooling effect should be constant and the temp gauge should be constant.

Around town the air passing through the radiator is not constant so the cooling effect will not be constant and the temp gauge will rise and fall accordingly.

 

[TangerineTractor]

I understand all that, but the temp gauge has been rock solid straight upright since I bought the car, and has only recently started fluctuating.

 

[rattystilo]

mine started running cooler after last weekend as the ambient air temp has dropped. If you look back through my threads i started one about april time saying my stilo was running hot as the air temp had gone up.

 

[Shadeyman]

I understand all that, but the temp gauge has been rock solid straight upright since I bought the car, and has only recently started fluctuating.

You've only recently started using the heating. :bang:
https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/282506-no-heater-flow-footwells.html

 

[TangerineTractor]

Yeah, but even with the heating turned off it's fluctuating... and it never used to...

Main thing is, is this an issue or shoud I just ignore it?

 

[Shadeyman]

A small fluctuation has been quite normal on our Stilos so unless it moves to either extreme, ignore it.

 

[rattystilo]

i find that as long as the car drives the same i ignore all the warning lights and noises. Unless its the oil light but then i have an oil pressure guage in my stilo.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Dial should sit dead in the middle, heat on or not, your thermostat is jamming open.

Had the same with my Stilo, thermostat changed and job done

 

[TangerineTractor]

How hard is it to change the thermostat on a JTD?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

How hard is it to change the thermostat on a JTD?

Dunno. Was a 10min job on my 1.4 though, and under £25 for a genuine one from Fiat

 

[rattystilo]

oh, so early this year my stilo ran at a third up the guage, then in summer it ran at halfway, now is back at a third. Oil temp has dropped to 70 from 80 as well. Its ambient temp related, don't bother with the thermostat unless it runs colder than a third.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

oh, so early this year my stilo ran at a third up the guage, then in summer it ran at halfway, now is back at a third. Oil temp has dropped to 70 from 80 as well. Its ambient temp related, don't bother with the thermostat unless it runs colder than a third.

But it shouldn't be running that cold!

It wouldn't have when it came out of the factory so there is a fault, one which will be leading to an increased fuel consumption!

 

[citds]

Worry if it goes the other way! Cool engines and warm heaters are a good sign.

 

[TangerineTractor]

Found this in the handbook, so I guess it's normal behaviour...

 

[cainy1989]

can't be any worse than the alfa TS - took me about 30 mins to do, once I got the f@£$ing clips off the pipes it was plain sailing, its held on with two bolts and an O ring, shop4parts or europarts seem to be the best for it