I have a 2013 dodge charger RT AWD with 37k miles it has the 5.7 liter V8
I live in Colorado south of denver
The temperature gauge doesn't get up to the middle in the cold, and sometimes won't even get a quarter of the way up depending on how cold it is, even after a 25 minute drive of various speeds.
I tested my coolant at home and it says it's okay, with good cooling and anti freezing capacity.
Could there be something wrong with my thermostat or is this normal in cold weather with thick engine blocks on a big V8?
The coolant never freezes or boils out and has stayed at the same level.
Also, since the update on the valve train, does this engine still have issues later in it's life?
Sounds like u need a new thermostat
It may or may not be the thermostat. Before messing with anything, I would take the car for a HARD drive and see whether the coolant gauge goes up to the halfway point. Let that V8 engine roar a little lol. Then let it sit and see if the cooling fans are on after. The cooling fans should NOT be on if the coolant temp is well below halfway. If they are on before halfway, then something is wrong with the fan control module. If you drove it very hard and see that the temps did not reach halfway, then your thermostat is stuck open. I would replace the thermostat first, and if that doesn't fix the problem replace the coolant temperature sensor. It may be a bad sensor giving false temps.
Yea even after a hard drive, temps raise up to where they are supposed to be but then they just go back down... seems like the only time it stays at the correct temperature, is when it just sits idling and the water pump isn't moving too quickly. As for the coolant sensor, I think it is fine. Im not sure what exactly the operating temp is for this engine, but I notice while driving in the cold it stays around 200 F. the normal operating temp should be 203 F, so if im sitting it upper 190's/low 200's, is this normal? The fans do not turn on when im driving it, probably because the cold air kicks the heat from the radiator before the fans get a chance to turn on. When idling the fans DO turn on. Im just confused why my temp gauge on my cluster displays at the 1/3 or 1/4 mark, when my digital screen tells me its at about 200 F.
I had the same problem with my S10 pickup truck and it turned out to be excessive rust buildup in the coolant and so after a couple fluid flushes it was fine but the thermostat's definitely a cheaper option unless you feel like you need to do a flush every time you change a part on the coolant system cuz you will lose a little bit of coolant.
