Thread: Engine Temp Fluctuation

I have a 1997 gt with about 117,000 miles on it and the temp seems to be doing some strange things. When I am driving the car the temps will usually stay around 160-170, however when I am in traffic, stopped or driving really slow, the temps seem to rise pretty fast to about 200-210, at which point my fans come on and it stays at that temp. There is no overheating but I have never had a car that did that. Is it possible that I may have air in the coolent lines or a bad thermostat? The thermostat seems unlikely but it just seems weird to me that it does that.

Nope. That is totally normal. These engines run hot from the factory. The fans are programmed to come on around 210* IIRC.

If you want you could flush out the coolant and refill. If that is the original DEX in there then its overdue. You could then refill w/ standard green coolant if you want, as long as ALL of the Dex is flushed from the system.

I know that the engines seem to run around 210 but should it be running so cool when I am driving it? Most cars I have had run at around the same temp after they reach operating temp and don't go up and down all the time like this one does.