This question is about a 1.8 petrol Ford Focus.
I would like to know from any mechanics about what the possible causes may be for the following symptoms :
1. When starting the car from cold in the morning and during the first journey the temperature guage needle after rising slightly then drops slightly (I sometimes actually see it happen) when for example stopped at traffic lights.
2. Secondly, after switching off the engine and then I turn the ignition such that the engine is off but the temperature guage is functional, the needle usually has dropped quite a bit from the mid position even though I have only just switched the engine off (so it is still hot).
3. Lastly, I feel the needle is never exactly mid way between cold and hot but slightly nearer the cold end. Would this suggest a head gasket problem ?
Would any of these symptoms suggest a problem with the coolant pump, radiator or any related component ?
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1. Perfectly normal. When stopped there is no airflow through the radiator anymore and the temperature rises until the cooling fan kicks in to produce airflow through the radiator that the driving was previously doing.
2. With the engine running the temperature sensor is having coolant passed over it as the pump circulates coolant around the engine and thus getting a truer and more accurate reading than when the coolant is stationary in the engine.
3. The guage is merely an indicator to tell you if the engine is hot or cold. It is not a 100% accurate measuring device.
No offence, but has anyone mentioned how paranoid you are about your car?
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At the risk of ruining your Easter, any of your faults could be a head gasket problem!
Or it could be just normal operation.
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1. When starting the car from cold in the morning and during the first journey the temperature guage needle after rising slightly then drops slightly .......
There could be several reasons, all of them normal. For example .........
(a) The "crack-open" temperature of a thermostat is usually higher than its normal running temperature.
(b) Before the thermostat opens for the first time the water in the radiator is more or less static and is therefore cooler than the rest of the water. When the thermostat opens for the first time the cool water in the radiator is released into the rest of the system, mixes with it, and temporarily reduces the temperature of all the water.
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It does sound like you are worrying over nothing. If the car is running fine and not using any water then don't worry about it - its fine.
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For a few months now I have noticed that even when the petrol engine has reached normal operating temperature the needle on the coolant temperature gauge is slightly towards the left (nearer cold than hot) of the vertical (mid-way) position. I have had the car over four years and can't remember this situation before. There must surely be a mechanical reason why the needle is no longer vertical whereas before it was - any mechanics out there !
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Some years ago when I had an Orion, I had a similar situation and couldn't find a reason.
I fitted thermocouple into the cooling system and took readings from when the temperature guage started registering and when it got near the blood line.
I cant remember the actual figures but I do remember being surprised how few degrees centigrade it was.
I never worried about it after that.
The only reason that comes to mind is that as the temperature guage is electrically operated it may be the transmitter or guage is at fault rather than an engine fault.
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IME, thermostats seem to get 'tired' and start to open earlier as they get older, so the engine runs a little cooler.
Nothing to worry about, unless the engine runs so cool it's mixture is enriched resulting in using more fuel.
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I agree. The thermostat is likely culprit for the dropping of temp. I swapped out my thermostat as the temp was dropping on motorway journeys as the thermostat was opening too early.
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My car is a 98 Mondeo 1.8, so i'm assuming that it will be the same engine as fitted to the OP.
I have the same symptoms and have had all through my 2+ years of ownership, the needle only just rises past the C mark except in warmer weather when it nudges up a little further, and of course when stationary with engine running it will get up to the middle. All the time I have had effective heating and the cooling fan will cut in if left to idle. Are there different thermostats available (opening temperatures) and could mine be fitted with the wrong one? What effect would running slightly cooler all the time actually have, if any?
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I have a 99 T Ford Focus 1.8 petrol (80k) and for quite a few months now have noticed that the temperature gauge needle, even when at normal temperature, never reaches the exact middle position like it used to. When I posted this question in the past one answerer said that with age the needle may not reach the exact mid position it did when it was newer. Do you think that is the cause of the problem ?
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Why do you continue to post the same questions on this forum again and again and ignore the advice you're given each time ?
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