Normal PT Cruiser Engine Temp?

For the Cruiser owners, where does your engine temp guage needle
typically sit during normal driving? I recently bought an '03 GT Turbo
and noticed the engine temp guage needle always hits a tiny hair below
mid-point. This is with a/c on or off, highway or in-town driving. Is
that about par for the course? Do the turbo's run a little hotter?
Previous cars I've owned have always operated with the temp needle well
below mid-point.

SWS

 

My '01's gauge reads about the same.

 

My '03 GT is the same as you describe. Rock solid, right down the middle of
the gauge.

 

I'm in the same range as you are. According to the manual, they do run a
little hotter and there is even a procedure for cooling-down after hard
driving... Intercooler on the turbo keep the engine temp under control.
But, heavy (lead foot) driving could raise it up. You might want to be
aware of that...

 

had '01, '03 and got '05, all sat bang in the middle whether idling in
traffic, towing a caravan or being thrashed, the guage never moved.
Either very good control of the cooling system or the needle's stuck!!

m

 

That seems to be the way that all PT Cruiser temperature controls work. I'm
not sure that they are truly analog. My 2002s go to midpoint and stays
there. When the PT first came out there was speculation that the
temperature circuit was set up so that as long as the temperature remained
within the accepted range, the needle remains at about midpoint. Mine is
the same, Winter or Summer.

 

yes this is normal operation...

www.ptcrew.com

 

middle of the road is very normal for PTs. mine never moves from that spot .
takes about 10 mine to warm up and purrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!