My 2006 has started running too cool. It takes forever for the engine temp to come up to normal operating range and if I turn the heater on the temp just doesn't rise. Has anyone had experience with a thermostat going bad by opening too soon? or should I be looking at something else. The service engine soon light has also come on, any connection? I've reset the ECU and in a couple of days the light is back.

Any suggestions?

 

90 percent sure you need a new thermostat.

 

You can see it a lot of different ways the thermostat might have something to do with it but whats funny is that the thermostat has no sensors around it to make it go off. Now your water pump does. What DTS code did it have before you reset your computer? that's where you should go first or are you just resetting without check it first...

 

as far as the code goes, only way to know what's up is to scan it. Some Autozones do it for free if you dont know anyone with a Nissan scan tool

as far as the other issue, have you recently done anything coolant related? flush/filled the system, new radiator, etc?

car purchased new? stock thermostat?

 

Thanks for the input davidv, vics350Z and Z1 Performance.

I did reset the ECU without having the code read (if it comes back I will have it checked), I haven't done anything to the cooling system, I purchased the car new and it has the stock thermostat.

 

DavidV probably nailed it. Could be a defective spring, causing the Tstat to be stuck open. You say it takes forever to warm up. DO you eventually get any heat from the vents?

Check engine light will come on because if the car cant warm up properly and it will never enter closed loop.

 

0jiggy0, yes it does eventually warm up. If the outside air temp is around 50 it takes about two minutes sitting at idle before the temp gauge starts to climb into a normal operating range and I do get heat then, but as soon as the heater is turned on temp gauge drops and idle speed goes back up. Colder outside temps, say in the 30's, and I can let it warm up until the temp gauge start to get into normal operating range start driving and drive in city traffic for 10 miles and the temp gauge drops off the bottom of the scale and stays there never getting back into normal range.

 

Seems like a T stat problem. How many miles on the car?

 

62,000

 

Thats what id look at first along with getting the code scanned to be sure.