M20 can't get the temp. Needle in the middle

[ADEN]

I want to be direct.....
320i 89
Needle bearly reach 1/4 noon time sometimes in traffic reach between 1/4 & 1/2 as soon as i hit the gas it drops to 1/4 and if i kept driving i goes between 1/4 and the blue line.it's a nightmare on cold mornings or in highways at night.

Bot Tested thermostat 87c (Mercedes Benz oem type) where i live bmw oem stuff are expensive and hard to come by.
Deleted the heater core with the block both pipes method.

Only thing i have as a suspect is the fan cluch engaging all time.
Another thing i suspect is the return hole in the expansion is returning upon any slight revs even when the engine cold.
Is that really a cause of my overcooling problem?

PROBLEM SOLVED
I forgot to install t-stat seal some coolant were escaping thanks to all of you

[MrBurgundy]

Are you positive the thermostat is closing?

I would start off by replacing the thermostat with an 80*c one and see what happens.

If you really thing the therm is working, I would get a laser thermometer to see if the gauge is even reading accurately

[rturbo 930]

Sounds normal to me. My temp gauge never makes it to the halfway mark.

[Tisoc]

Mines the same. I don’t worry about it.

[ADEN]

Are you positive the thermostat is closing?

I would start off by replacing the thermostat with an 80*c one and see what happens.

If you really thing the therm is working, I would get a laser thermometer to see if the gauge is even reading accurately

I will get 80c oem t-stat and see .
About the gauge being accurate the car cold knocking sound is there most of the time as long as the needle doesn't pass 1/4.that's why i am not suspecting the temp reading.

[ADEN]

Sounds normal to me. My temp gauge never makes it to the halfway mark.

Thanks man but mine didn't even stay on 1/4 line.it is below it most of the time puls suffering bad mpg. My engine is wearing fast i believe.

[cheffy30]

mine never goes to the middle. idling for 15 minutes and maybe it will move up half way to the middle. start moving and it drops down. always just a squeak over the blue.
my 2c

[LJ851]

An E30 with a stock thermostat should sit very close to the middle of the gauge, that’s where the thermostat opens. Slightly above 1/2 way on the gauge is where the fan clutch kicks on so the needle stays very steady at the middle of the gauge in most conditions.

If you have a thermostat opening sooner, the gauge will move around a lot more since there is a wider gap between the thermostat and fan clutch.

[ADEN]

An E30 with a stock thermostat should sit very close to the middle of the gauge, that’s where the thermostat opens. Slightly above 1/2 way on the gauge is where the fan clutch kicks on so the needle stays very steady at the middle of the gauge in most conditions.

If you have a thermostat opening sooner, the gauge will move around a lot more since there is a wider gap between the thermostat and fan clutch.

That's what my car used to do. Please provide some suggestions....

[LJ851]

That's what my car used to do. Please provide some suggestions....

The thermostat controls the base temp, i would put in an OE or OEM brand thermostat with a factory opening temperature.

[ADEN]

The thermostat controls the base temp, i would put in an OE or OEM brand thermostat with a factory opening temperature.

Thanks man