The t-stat's purpose is to keep the engine hot enough, not cool enough! If you are running 175 F. in the winter you would not get enough warm air to keep you from freezing. 210 F. is normal. But you might want to check the coolant level under the pressure cap, WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. Also, the temp as measured by the gauge on the dashboard comes from a different probe than the temp reading in the DIC, they mean different things. The DIC reading goes to the computer, so it knows what to do. The one on the dash is for us mere humans. Don't get all tied up in minutiae.

 

My 2.4L is usually 194-198....... 210 on a very hot day..... maybe. Only time it's been 180 is during warmup. Something's not right with yours if you only get to 180, that's not normal for these cars....

 

Going by the gauge on the dash the 180 mark that I thought was normal was about one mark under halfway. Yesterday when it was running with the heater on it was at or close to the half way mark. Still plenty ways off from the red marks. This morning with the heater off, it was running between 1.5 to two marks below the half way mark. I know I'm not near overheating, but was concerned since the water temp is going up with the heater on vs going down like it should.

 

Are you looking at the DIC reading at all or just the "analog" dash gauge?

 

All the numbers posted were what the DIC displayed during my trips. I only added the gauge info to show that there is a visible difference in temps also. At this point I'm not worried about it because its not overheating (unless I need to be).

 

Don't know if it's worth a worry, but it's not normal so keep your eyes on it more than you usually would. Someone mentioned earlier the two gauges use different sensors, they do often read different and the "dash gauge" is not very linear. The DIC is more accurate.

 

when you are running your hvac on heat, do you have it on defrost? the ac compressor runs in defrost mode. possible additional heat from the condensor?(not likely on cool/cold days). possible additional load on the engine? just a few thoughts.

 

I didn't have the a/c or defrost on yesterday to or from work, but when I saw the temp displaying 195 I did turn the a/c on for a minute to see if the cooling fan would come on and help cool off the water. It being about 40 outside yesterday morning, I thought it was silly trying to cool it that way and only ran it for a minute or two with no noticeable temp change. After turning the ac off and turning the climate control fully to the left (cold) is when I saw the temp drop back down.

 

@Pinballfreak, I have read through the thread about your engine temperature. If you ever feel that something is just not right with your vehicle please, get a hold of the dealership. Even if they come to the conclusion that they cannot diagnose what is going on, you can make sure that they document your visit within the system for future reference.

Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service

 

All car gauges are not linear. They are more accurate in the range that they operate in normally. Just because a line is half way between 2 numbers it does not mean it is actually half the actual temp between. Gauges are just an indication not a perfect reading.