Is it running too high?
 

I have been keeping track of my engine temp gauge lately and I think it may be running high, it runs just past the 180 mark to in between the 180 and the next white line. But on the streets,lets say in traffic it bounces between the middle of the 180 mark and the next mark and a little past the half way point between the two. Does this seem high?

mine never completely passes the 180 mark. Maybe cleaning the radiator would be advisable?

Mine went a hair past 180 ever since it was new. slightly higher in stop n go.

Mine runs 180 ish.. sometimes a little higher depending on what I am doing..traffic etc. This is considered normal.

search on temperature and overheating here on this forum. There are a couple of good threads about it.

My box did the same as yours, and I found it was the primary fan... it had burned out. At high speeds it was at normal operating temps (needle stays between the 8 and the 0 in the "180" due to sufficient wind blowing over the radiator. In traffic, it would climb, but not to overheating levels.

The next time it's running hot, park it with the engine running and walk to the front of the car (AC blowing too, BTW). You should be able to put your hand below the bumper in front of both front tires and feel very hot air blowing downward. If you don't feel it on one side or the other, you have a fan out or the thermostat that controls each fan is out.

I have had numerous Boxes and the temp showing on the gauge has bounced around quite a bit.

Yours sounds in the normal range to me.
:cheers:

Hi,

The Temp Gauge in the Boxster is not terribly accurate. It can be affected by a variety things, plus it doesn't read the true temp, only giving you a range. It is sufficient to let you know if there's a severe problem and the general Temp.

If you're ever concerned and want the actual value of the Coolant Temp, you can always access the Datastream hidden in the Car's Climatronic Unit (which is actually manufactured by AUDI). Not a lot of Owners are aware of this ability and it works only on the '97-'00 models (don't actually know if it's there on the later MY or not).

First, press and hold the Recirculating Button, then press both Temperature Buttons (+ -). To enter the Diagnostics, you hold down the Recirculating and Air Up buttons simultaneously for 5 sec. The + - will then scroll up/down through a list of 'C' codes. Pressing the Center Vent Button will alternate between the 'C' code with it's actual value. To exit and return to normal operation, press the Auto Button. Here is a list of the available codes:

0c - ERL
1c - Oil Temp
2c - Inside Temp - From the Sensor mounted in the Aspirator Assembly at the side of the Dash
3c - Outside Temp - From the Sensor inside the Air Inlet of the A/C Unit
4c - Outside Temp - From the Sensor in Front Grill of the Radiator. Data is fed to the Climatronic from the Instrument Cluster. When not moving, the Instrument Cluster OBC Temp Display retains it's last setting until moving. This is to prevent heat emanating from the Radiator affecting the Temp Sensor. The Climatronic uses the lower of the two values in determining Fresh-Air Temp.
5c - Outside Temp - matches OBC outside temp display
6c - Coolant Temp
7c - Footwell Discharge Temp
8c - Sun Sensor (dash top)
9c - Sun Sensor
10c- Passenger Compartment Fan Speed
11c- Passenger Compartment Fan Voltage
12c- Temperature Mix Flap Command (1=COLD, 100= HOT)
13c- Temperature Mix Flap Position
14c - Central Flap Command
15c - Central Flap Position
16c - Footwell/Defrost Flap Command
17c - Footwell/Defrost Flap Position
18c - Recirculation Valve Command (1=OFF, 100=RECIRC)
19c - Recirculation Valve Position (feedback)
20c - Vehicle Speed in kph, updates once per second. This is True Speed, not the Speed+Safety Margin displayed by the Speedometer.
21c - Engine RPM in hundreds, also updates once per second
22c - ?
23c - ?
24c - Sun Sensor, Exterior Lights Switch, and Panel Lights control (term. 58 & 58d voltage) - used for A/C Panel Display Illumination
25c - ?
26c - ?
27c - ?
28c - Fan Speed
29c - ?
30c - Engine Run Time in seconds (255max.) (=0Xff)
31c - Timing Counter
32c - Displays Test
33c - Software Version (usually 3.4)
34c - ?
35c - Outside Temp from Inlet Sensor (filtered)
36c - Temp

So, by checking code 6c, you can get the actual value of your Coolant Temp. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

@ Blinkwatt,

Did you see my post below about getting the actual Coolant Temp procedure from the Climatronic AC Unit? With a '99, you can access this Datastream and have the actual Coolant Temp displayed on your Climate Control Display, as well as several other Temp and Engine Functions...

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

250F is overheat so between the 180 line and 250 line is normal.

One thing Brucelee brought to my attention was my higher weight oil. I use 15W50 so mine is normally in the 195+ range, even when it's cool outside.

Just check your coolant level when it's cold for a few days and make sure it's not going down and look in the front vent holes to see if stuff is collecting in the radiator fins. You can put some covers on the vents that will allow the air through and keep the junk out. I have them and the radiators stay clean except for very small stuff.