What is the normal temperature operating range?
 

My car seems to run just above the little square box towards the bottom of the gauge (red line in picture) but I was sitting in the Starbucks drive thru yesterday and I noticed it crept up to the mid way point almost directly straight out from the "temp" (green line in the picture). When should you start to worry about temperature?http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1587671189.jpg

You have a style C gauge, the bottom of the red zone is 150C (302F) the top of the white box is 80C(176F), 300F is too hot, a good place to be is just above the white box

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1587671688.jpg

One of the first upgrades I did to my 85 911 was get a temp gauge with numbers on it. It was a easy swap and a new sender and done. It seems to be very accurate.

With my car, normal driving in 80 degrees and below air temp I run at 180 or so. On a really hot day and hard running it will get to 210 and I turn on the fan for the front oil cooler. Even in the worst heat it never gets about 220 unless I sit in traffic a long time and 250 is about peak. I have never sat at idle for longer than that.

Oil temp.
 

This also worked for me.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1587678067.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1587678155.jpg
^^^^^
The front oil cooler factory fan thermostat
was replaced with one of these.

On temp=210F

Off temp=195F

Using the style A insert.

When it gets to the red section?

Before that if it is a regular thing. 250 is hot, and 300 is way too dang hot. At least for my engine.

All - the op has a 3.2 Carrera engine in an 83 sc, could a mismatch between temp sensor and temp gauge elevate his readings?

Not likely. Same sender for those years.

thx for confirmation

Check the oil lines in the passenger side wheel well, there is a thermostat there. If the return line is cold when it is reading high on the gauge, that may be an issue with it's operation.

If the gauge is reading high and both are hot, it may be an issue with your fan (if you have one) on the oil cooler in the front fender.

The SC did not have the radiator type of cooler with fan as I recall. The Carrera was the first year of the radiator type of cooler. And it was 86 I think when the fan was standard.

So to the OP, if you have the trombone type of cooler, replace it with a radiator type, and add a fan to boot. I can tell you that as low speeds it makes a big difference. One of my buddies has a 82 SC and he recently had the front cooler replaced. It made a big difference for him.

^^^ what he said.

I've the Carrera rad unit in my '83 SC and stay about 190 ish unless Arizona hot (100's ambient) and will go up to 210-20.....I control the fan with a switch btw/no thermostat