At 01:53 PM 7/6/2008, Jake de Villiers wrote...
>This isn't really Vanagon Content Neil, but your gauge should be
>showing the
>opening temperature of your thermostat ie 87 C or ~185 F.

Not really. That is, as you said, the _opening_ temperature. i.e. the
temperature at which the thermostat just starts to open. It has to get
a bit hotter before the wax pellet will expand enough to open it enough
for significant flow (and cooling) to occur. Most take about 25 degrees
(F) to move from opening to fully open. The engine temperature should
be somewhere in between, usually about 10 degrees above the opening
temperature. 200F would not be abnormal.