I struggle to get mine above 80 - usually dead on 73 - then might go up to about 78 when stopped in traffic, then drops back down to 71-73 Is this normal?
what gauge are you using to monitor temps? or are you using ecutalk/conzult/datscan to monitor the what the ECU is reading from the CTS? if your gauge/CTS is reading correct then you have a lower temp thermostat or your thermostat is opening before the OEM 76 degrees. how long does it take to get to operating temp?
it's an aftermarket cheapie brand - RACETECH - takes about 5 min of driving after warming car up for about 3 mins to get to the 70deg
I would check on ConZult or similar, 73 seems pretty low but as Sandeep said, it could just be your gauge.
see if you can compare what the racetech gauge is showing to what the CTS is feeding to the ECU using consult/datscan. i'm betting it's probably your gauge, might need to check the grounding for the temp sender, or it could just be reading wrong because it's a cheaper gauge. normal operating temp should be higher than 71-73 with a working OEM thermostat. mine (NA) sits on about 80 degrees on a good gauge, same as what consult shows.
I'm sure searching this topic may yield exactly what I am abut to write. Assume you have all OEM Gear, since you ask the "normal operating temp", so I assume you mean a "Normal/OEM vehicle" The thermostat has an opening temperature of 76.5 degrees Celcius. Therefore if you have an OEM thermostat the engine should never run cooler than that if it is working properly. Coolant temperature is influenced by so many variables, but suffice to say that the normal range for the Z if "Everything" is running in good order, should be between 80 and 85 degrees. When ambient conditions, use of A/conditioner and slow urban driving put pressure on the cooling system it may run hotter, but again I stress if all is working well, the very hottest you should see is low 90's on the worst days.
While we're on this topic, does anyone have any recommendations for brands of aftermarket water temperature gauges?
I run from 78 to 82. Stock rad, both stock shrouds, vented nose and bonnet, big fmic, no air con fan etc in front.
Im running an aftermarker digital temp gauge..my car sits betweekn 79 - 85....but mostly sits right on 80 degrees
http://www.shopdrift.com/Products/D1-WRT-DIG/WaterTemperatureGauge-DigitalSeries52mm-Blue.aspx Auto pro has them. Or Get AEM from US. http://www.aemelectronics.com/water-temp-gauge-100-300f-763
vh45 ...83-85 degrees Just in case someone does a search in the future. My NA vh45 generally operates at 83-85C. Worst case is 93C when pushed ... hmmm, when backed off from being pushed. A descent engine oil cooler will make a big difference to this high end temp as much as 10C knocked off the top.
Normal running at 100k 82-83C rock solid. Max 85C if really pushing. The ECUTalk is alarmed at 90C but it's never gone off. Put in a new stat a year ago at the 100k service.
