How hot on the guage should my car get?

[phinger23]

wondering whats normal/safe temp range for my car (2000 Alero) when sitting at an idle.

[327]

how hot does it get?

[phinger23]

needle goes above the middle noticably. not to red zone...

id say like this..

1 being cold, 10 being over heating.

while driving its at 5, then id say about 6-7 when in traffic.

[T-Type]

Sombody who knows the exact answer for a 2000 Alero should speak up, but in general the temp can be anywhere from 190 - 215 F. Under high stress conditions (very hot day, AC on, stop and go traffic) it may creep up to 240 F. But that should be rare. Normal should be as I said above.

[73ChevelleSS]

needle goes above the middle noticably. not to red zone...

id say like this..

1 being cold, 10 being over heating.

while driving its at 5, then id say about 6-7 when in traffic.

It sounds normal to me.

[327]

theres no numbers? thats real helpful GM,
above 210 is pretty high temp for idling. i wouldnt worry until its in the red

[phinger23]

i dont think too many cars have numbers on it...except for the coldest and the hottest.

the dexcool is coming on its 5 year mark with 67K on it..thinking maybe its just getting old and its cooling abilities are just getting weaker?

[73ChevelleSS]

theres no numbers? thats real helpful GM,
above 210 is pretty high temp for idling. i wouldnt worry until its in the red

There are no numbers because people like you have no idea how hot cars should run.210 is not too hot while idling.210 is probably very close to the middle of the gauge.The fans do not come on untill about 225 so 210 is not too hot.In the summer time especailly while in traffic the gauge is gonna be at least in the middle.It probably will run cooler with the a/c on because the fans will be on all the time.

[phinger23]

well considering that the boiling point is about 265, 210 is not too bad.

[327]

There are no numbers because people like you have no idea how hot cars should run.210 is not too hot while idling.210 is probably very close to the middle of the gauge.The fans do not come on untill about 225 so 210 is not too hot.In the summer time especailly while in traffic the gauge is gonna be at least in the middle.It probably will run cooler with the a/c on because the fans will be on all the time.

did i say 210 was too hot? i dont think so. i said ABOVE. learn to read!

[IAMCANADIAN]

well considering that the boiling point is about 265, 210 is not too bad.

that's not a bad number, at idle it tends to get a bit hotter, I've noticed that with many cars we've had, in fact we had a Mazda MPV and normal would always be a bit above the middle

[327]

well considering that the boiling point is about 265, 210 is not too bad.

boiling point is 212 not 265

[phinger23]

so what about that 5 year thing on the dexcool? is it pretty much shot?

[327]

You are the same guy that told the guy crying about his navigation system to have someone "hook up a scan tool" to fix his problem right?What do you do for a living if you do not mind me asking?

its none of your business, i figured it could be done, I wanted my seatbelt warning turned off, warning me to buckle up, so i had a scan tool hooked up to it and had it shut off.

[73ChevelleSS]

boiling point is 212 not 265

Yes if he was running straight water,but most cars have coolant/water mix these days.