Why does my TEMP guage MOVE

[RandallNeighbour]

I used to wonder about my temp gauge moving all the time. I soon learned that my Porsche has a REAL temp gauge, not a dummy light with a needle on it.

Newer Porsches (05 and up from what I've seen) have a dummy light with a needle like other modern cars... within a couple of minutes the needle moves to 180 and stays there until the motor is shut off or it overheats and BLAM!! it slams to the right and the light comes on. Very little incremental warning if any and no indication that the motor isn't fully warmed up.

But our versions of the car actually reads the temperature and displays it as the motor gets hotter and cooler. Nifty concept, huh!

If you're concerned about your cooling system, one low-tech way to check if your cooling system is working properly is to 1) insure you have enough coolant when the motor is hot and then 2) turn on the AC to the lowest setting when the motor is idling and walk around to the front of the car and put your hand under the bumper cover in front of each tire. You should feel hot air blowing on your hand on both sides and hear the fans roaring.

If you do, then both of your radiator fans are working properly and you are just seeing normal temperature swings in your motor's performance. If both aren't blowing, you have a repair issue to deal with.