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2010 Honda Civic runs cold in winter

4 messages,  Last post on Feb 08, 2012 at 8:10 PM

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#1 of 4 2010 Honda Civic runs cold in winter by tacoma50

Feb 07, 2012 (7:53 am)

My 2010 civic has a digital water temperature gauge. The gauge does not display numbers, rather it has a LCD bar graph. During the spring, summer and fall the gauge displays 9 bars when the engine is fully heated, which is just shy of the halfway mark on the gauge.
 
In temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the gauge only rises to 4 to 7 bars, even when the car has been driven for over 15 minutes. An odd thing is, sometimes it will display a normal temperature of 9 bars, even on very cold days, say 25 degrees, but this is rare. The heater works OK, the air seems warm enough. It seems that if I turn heater off, that the temp will raise one or two bars.
 
Maybe these small engines just dont have enough mass to warm up in the winter?
Dealer says nothing is wrong with 2010 civic, but this does not seem right to me. Any ideas, thanks.
 
Heres the kicker, my old 2001 civic did the same thing in its older years, dealer said there was nothing wrong with that one either. I had replaced the thermostat in the 2001 thinking it was stuck open, but no help.

#2 of 4 Re: 2010 Honda Civic runs cold in winter [tacoma50] by lostwrench1

Feb 07, 2012 (3:46 pm)

Replying to: tacoma50 (Feb 07, 2012 7:53 am)
I think nothing is wrong.

#3 of 4 Re: 2010 Honda Civic runs cold in winter [tacoma50] by tacoma50

Feb 08, 2012 (11:17 am)

Replying to: tacoma50 (Feb 07, 2012 7:53 am)
I found this Honda Service News Article from Feb 2010, which states
 
 http://dvpatel.homelinux.com/forumfiles/SN/A100200.pdf
 
    - Temperature Gauge Reads Low When It's Cold Outside -
In very cold weather, your customer might notice that the engine temperature gauge appears to reach the normal operating level a little slower than it would in warm temperatures. This slower movement shouldnt be mistaken for a bad thermostat or any other cooling system problem, as this is typical operation of the temperature gauge. This is because the temperature gauge doesnt operate in a linear fashion like a fuel level gauge does. Check out the example below of this logic shown on a 2006-10 Civic:
Gauge segment 1 doesnt show until engine temperature reaches approximately 132°F or 56°C.
Gauge segments 2-9 are approximately 138-165°F or 59-74°C.
Gauge segments 9-11 Normal operating range is 170-222°F or 77-106°C.
Gauge segments 12-20 are approximately 228-249°F or 109-121°C.
Gauge segments 21-22 are approximately 255°F or 124°C.
 
On cold days my civic sometimes never rises above 6 or 7 segments, even after 15 to 20 minutes of driving. Which, according to the Honda Service Article, means that my civic is not operating within a normal range on cold days?

#4 of 4 Re: 2010 Honda Civic runs cold in winter [tacoma50] by lostwrench1

Feb 08, 2012 (8:10 pm)

Replying to: tacoma50 (Feb 08, 2012 11:17 am)
If your thermostat is working properly............
 
The "wind chill factor" has no effect on a non living object. However, the more cold air passing through the radiator the less hot the coolant will be. Your getting different temperature readings while driving at the same cold winter outside temperature could be the result of your going into the wind or travelling in the same direction as the wind. I have an aircraft air speed indicator in my truck and when driving at 65 mph into wind gusts, I often get readings of over 100 mph air speed.
 
The radiator's function is to cool the coolant by having air pass through it.
 
After driving 20 minutes, park in a place outdoors where wind cannot enter into the radiator. Run the engine for about 5 to10 minutes and see if the temperature gauge rises to the level of your liking. (Be mindful of the exhaust fumes).
 
I don't think you have a problem. I would be much more concerned if the temperature gauge was reading on the hot side.

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