Planet 9

Cdubya · #21 09-15-2009, 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by Gator Bait

Yes, our gauge will not reflect anything except an extreme temperature change. Mine never budges from the middle either once it gets there.

Very much so. And, I've noticed, even from a cool morning start it's up to 175 within 2 miles or 4-5 minutes. Conversely, when I go back to drive it after a 2-3 hour cool down it's at 175 right away!

The consensus of 'digital idiot light' sounds pretty accurate. Also, pretty crappy on a $60k sports car...

**Ed Merry** · #22 09-15-2009, 03:05 AM

I agree that if we are provided gauges, they should be accurate and the current water temp gauge is not-- just an "animated idiot light". But there are two other considerations:

First some Porsche owners worry needlessly and would take teh car to the dealer if on a hot day, teh temp went from 175 to 200, well below the red. So I can see there point of view. I don't agree but I see it.

The other consideration is the engine is warrantied for a long time. And I have not seen many claims for overheating and engine failure. S0O I must assume the cooling system is sufficient. An example cited is 104 degrees at a track and the car is fine after a 30 minute hard track run.

Conclusion: leave it alone, the car is wonderful and still fun to drive. Of all the complaints possible, this is not a biggie to me. IMHO. Ed

**jeff alton** · #23 09-15-2009, 03:41 AM

EVERY manufacturer does this, not just Porsche.

That said, I did see a 997 S with the needle way in the red the other day, and the idiot light on

Cheers

cuddyk · #24 09-15-2009, 03:45 AM

Well, that explains it. I've always wondered why the temp gauge seems to show the engine at 175 even after the car has been parked for hours in cool weather. Makes sense that it's because the thing doesn't work!

Funny that the gauge does seem to move up the scale with some precision when the engine is cold...or is that also a fake readout?

**blueone** · #25 09-15-2009, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by jeff alton

EVERY manufacturer does this, not just Porsche.

This is incorrect. GM coolant temp gauges show the actual readings from the sensors. On the Corvette you get the actual reading in analog and digital.

All of the German car companies seem to have coolant temp gauges that lie. Every Bimmer I've had does it, the Benz does it, and now the Cayman. Of course, if it makes you feel better Ford gauges lie too.

Gator Bite · #26 09-15-2009, 06:25 AM

Originally Posted by Ed Merry

First some Porsche owners worry needlessly and would take teh car to the dealer if on a hot day, the temp went from 175 to 200, well below the red. So I can see there point of view. I don't agree but I see it.

The other consideration is the engine is warrantied for a long time. And I have not seen many claims for overheating and engine failure. SO I must assume the cooling system is sufficient. An example cited is 104 degrees at a track and the car is fine after a 30 minute hard track run.

Conclusion: leave it alone, the car is wonderful and still fun to drive. Of all the complaints possible, this is not a biggie to me. IMHO. Ed

I agree with pretty much everything you said. Yes, the cars seem to cool themselves very well. No, I guess it's not a real big deal. And yes, I agree that we shouldn't have to suffer because Porsche wants to broaden their customer base to include meat heads that panic when a guage in a sports car actually moves while on the way to the country club.

**jeff alton** · #27 09-15-2009, 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by blueone

This is incorrect. GM coolant temp gauges show the actual readings from the sensors. On the Corvette you get the actual reading in analog and digital.

All of the German car companies seem to have coolant temp gauges that lie. Every Bimmer I've had does it, the Benz does it, and now the Cayman. Of course, if it makes you feel better Ford gauges lie too.

Ok, maybe GM does not do it on any of their cars, or maybe they just don't on the Corvette... But then again Porsche didn't fib about oil temp when they had aircooled motors.......

Not sure why it should make me feel better to know that you have confirmed Ford does it......... I don't own a Ford, never have, and never will.

Cheers

**blueone** · #28 09-16-2009, 02:35 AM

Originally Posted by jeff alton

Ok, maybe GM does not do it on any of their cars, or maybe they just don't on the Corvette... But then again Porsche didn't fib about oil temp when they had aircooled motors.......

Not sure why it should make me feel better to know that you have confirmed Ford does it......... I don't own a Ford, never have, and never will.

Cheers

Oil temp is different; I've never seen a gauge that lies, even from Germans. I can't vouch for *every* GM coolant gauge, but at least the trucks I've seen and a few rental cars don't seem to lie (the readings actually vary in different driving conditions). As for Ford, I threw that in just to tease you; I know most folks get insulted if you compare a Porsche to a Ford. Unfortunately in this case it is a valid comparison.

I hate to tell ya, Porsche, but there's something intrinsically insulting about giving us a coolant gauge that just flat-out lies in a sophisticated sports car. Why not just give us t-shirts to wear that say "I'm stupid"? It's a trivial thing that just pisses some of us off.

Professor MSP · #29 09-16-2009, 05:33 AM

Originally Posted by Yancy

I'm a historic bitcher about this one (drives me crazy that Porsche has an idiot light with a needle on the dash).

I have a Scan Gauge II installed which shows the actual coolant temperature (the one the DME uses...) and last weekend I hit a new record.

Actual coolant temp: 214 degrees F. Dash gauge reading: 175. (overheat is at 225...)

That should have put the needle more than half way to the red zone (from "normal" which is pointing straight up).

I would recommend getting something like the SGII (or other ODBII reader you can leave installed) if you care to know how hot your engine coolant actually is. Another interesting stat I have displayed along with coolant temp is the intake air temp. That can be a good indicator of your engine compartment temperature, which I find informative at times...

I too own a Scan Gauge II and have a little more data of this nature. For example, when the dash gauge first reaches the 175º F mark, the Scan Gauge II is only reading 155º F. It takes anywhere from 5 to 10 more minutes for the Scan Gauge II to read 175º F, and that is driving in the hot and humid climate of Central Florida. So if you combine my data with that of Yancy's, one may conclude that the dash gauge reads 175º F when the actual coolant temperature is anywhere from 155º F to 214º F—essentially a 60º F swing without a movement in the dash needle!

My understanding is that the oil temperature rises more slowly than the coolant temperature—please correct me if I am wrong. Given my observations, this suggests that you will have wait some 10 minutes or more after the dash gauge reaches 175º F before the oil comes up to operating temperature.

**jeff alton** · #30 09-16-2009, 05:35 AM

I think they do it to stop people (average consumer not enthusiasts like us) from getting stressed when they see the needle move around. When they see the needle move a little higher they start getting concerned and bring the car in to the dealer for a "look see".

Cheers

downshift · #31 09-16-2009, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by Professor MSP

My understanding is that the oil temperature rises more slowly than the coolant temperature—please correct me if I am wrong. Given my observations, this suggests that you will have wait some 10 minutes or more after the dash gauge reaches 175º F before the oil comes up to operating temperature.

Yep. I had a loaner 997 when my Cayman was at the dealer. The 997 has an oil temp gauge. It was about 10 minutes after the water temp reached 175 that the oil temp rose to operating temp.