1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Main C900 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Sounds normal Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:25:01 In Reply to: Temperature gauge when idling, Lisa, Sun, 12 Oct 2008 06:42:00 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The temperature gauge will go up some when the car is idling - there is no airflow over the radiator, so things will heat up some. At some point, the radiator fan will (should) kick on, replacing the airflow that driving provides, and the temperature will rise a bit.
Saabs of this vintage suffer from a problem - they tell the truth. Huh? The temperature gauge actually reads the temperature of the cooling system. And the temperature of the cooling system normally varies a bit with driving conditions. This causes problems because folks worry about the gauge. Many cars, and later Saab ('95 and later) included, 'fix' this problem by modifying the signal the temperature gauge reads. Instead of showing the actual temperature, software smooths out the reading, showing a nice low value all the time. If the temperature does go up engouh to be an issue, the gauge will climb.
So many gauges lie - but a little white lie. So when you see a car with a temperature gauge that goes to a nice safe value and stays there, hot days, cool days, idling, driving at speed, you know that you're being protected from yourself.
So enjoy your older Saab that tells you the truth, warts and all. And in this case, the truth isn't a problem.
posted by 76.196.10...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.