i have a 97 3.8 and the engine heat gauge never seems to go over a quarter of the way up. I just replaced the thermostat with a new 195 one and still the same issue now the heat in the car doesnt work so i assume that i need a new heater core from what i have read but could this also cause the engine to not properly heat up?

 

No the gauge wont keep the car from getting hot, you need to replace the gauge, if your heater core is out you will most likely have a water leak, also could meaan a bubble in the system or popped head gasket, i would fix that gauge asap

 

sorry i meant could the heater core being bad cause the engine to not heat up not the guage but thank you for your input!

 

after you replaced the thermostat does it still stay that cold? when my heat doesnt work normally the engine is getting too hot cuz i have a coolant leak

 

if the core was leaking it would most likely pool in the passanger floorboard, car should still heat up with a bad core tho, take a thermometerand check the temp manually through the radiator this will tell you if you have a bad temp sending unit. If its bad you gotta change it

 

I've got the opposite issue, when idling for more then a few mins, my temp shoots up, and only comes back down when the secondary fan kicks in.

what do you guys think? should I try a new thermostat ?

 

i recently got a new thermostat and mine does the same thing, i think its because of my coolant leak, one thing that helped mine is that the fan tends to kick in when im running the air or the heater

 

my 1997 camaro v6 runs around 190 degrees...idle and everthing once it heats up

 

I have a97 v6 3800 AT. I had the overheating issue at idling too. I thought it was the thermostat but changed it and still had problems. All my coolant levels were fine and heater works like normal so I know there isn't leaks. I ended up hotwiring a switch, next to the rear defroster switch, that lead to the motor fans. This allows me to have complete control over when the fans work and helps with temp problems. I did go through the fire wall. I have heard this isn't an uncommon thing for these particular cars even the 3.4 which I have owned as well.