Hi all,
Have an issue with my engine running cold. The temperature gauge pretty
much stays o the edge of the white shaded area of the gauge.
I'm pretty confident the gauge is reading accurate as we have just passed
thru a winter here and it takes a while for the Heater to warm up and get
decent hot air from the vents. Also, sometimes, stuck in traffic, the
needle does sway more to the middle of the gauge (where it should be) and
you can feel nice hot air from the vents.

I very much suspect the thermostat is stuck open - but I've performed a
'band-aid fix' by substantially blocking of air to the radiator to try &
get it to run a bit warmer.

My question:
I've been reading on the list about the lengths people go to to put oil
temp gauges & head temp gauges and all sorts of tricks to keep an eye on
the engine (head) temps. Seems to be a critical sort of thing.
Hey - why don't I just leave the thermostat as it is and let the engine run
a little cooler. Is that going to be better for the engine? As I said -
we've just come out of winter - and I managed with the Heater as it is.

Any thoughts - anyone.

David Del Ben
85 1.9 Vanagon