very low temp in cold weather

I have a 95 SL2 with 113k on it. During the summer and 90 deg plus days, the temp guage reads right at or a little over the half way mark. Now that winter has set in and the temp goes below 20 degrees, (the past couple days below the zero mark) the temp guage barely gets off the C mark. The heater and defrost barely puts out any appreciable heat and it takes over 5 miles of driving to get the defrost to even start to keep up with defogging the windshield.

I'm thinking the thermostat is stuck open or the wrong temp range. Maybe this is normal? Any other opinions? Also, how much of a task is it to change the stat? I haven't taken a serious look at it yet... maybe this weekend.

could be the thermostat, could also be the cooling system needs to be flushed, blocked not allowing proper flow, coolant to water ratio not correct, meaning to much coolant not enough water, and possibly a water pump

how long does the car idle before you drive it? does the temperature reach between 1/4 and 1/2 mark after a while? saturns have an all aluminum engine so they are not going to heat up very fast. all the heat that it makes will discipate pretty easily while idling so itll take quite some time, and too its a 4 cylinder.

The car is garaged and does not idle for long before hitting the road. When it's below 20 out, it literally takes 5 miles before it puts out any heat. Even then, it's not hot by any means. I drive it 45 miles each way on my commute and it struggles to get to the 1/8 mark on the temp guage on cold days. In the summer, it easily gets just over the 1/2 mark.

The car is garaged and does not idle for long before hitting the road. When it's below 20 out, it literally takes 5 miles before it puts out any heat. Even then, it's not hot by any means. I drive it 45 miles each way on my commute and it struggles to get to the 1/8 mark on the temp guage on cold days. In the summer, it easily gets just over the 1/2 mark.

Flush the system and replace the thermostat with a 195 degree unit.

this is for the most part NORMAL. during summer, the vehicle receives a large amount of ratient heat - ambient temp is 70+(meaning both the intake air temp is high and the radiator and only disperse heat to a certain point), your absorbing heat from the sun above and the black pavent below. and the A/C itself produces an extrime amount of heat. in the winter, with the air below freezing, the intake air is low meaning lower combustion chamber temps, the radiator can now disperse heat much more effecently(not good), no heat is absorbed from the road or sun. and using the heater draws heat from the engine.

my temp gauge is also reading about 1/4 lower then during the summer.

the reason i say for the most part normal is: 1- a new thermostat and some new coolant is a good preventive maintance. 2- a bad ECT is a common problem in saturns and can cause the engine to not fully warm up or cause it to overheat

yeah id say flush the system and install a new thermostat, and while your at it change the coolant temperature sensor. its cheap enough to do and probably with saturns should be changed every time coolant is changed. get the sensor from the dealer if you want it to work properly. it seems like maybe the mixture has too much coolant. the water is what holds the heat. see my car's temperature is in the same spot in winter and summer. its always between the 1/4 and 1/2 mark. but changing the thermostat is easy. its below the a/c and right on the water pump housing. you can buy a thermostat housing and thermostat with gasket sealed up and ready to install from saturn and its like $35. its a very simple thermostat to change.

but your lucky. it takes my car around 10 miles of driving before heat comes through. but like i said its a 4 cylinder and its all aluminum, so its going to happen.

jeez havent yall ever heard of putting a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator in the winter? it blocks tons of the cold air to help with heat. thats how we do it here in iowa

jeez havent yall ever heard of putting a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator in the winter? it blocks tons of the cold air to help with heat. thats how we do it here in iowa


have you ever thought there was a problem? modern cars dont run much out of their range, if any, during cooler weather. the thermostat will close to heat the engine up, then open to cool it down and it will keep doing this to keep it in its optimal range.

and why bring up a dead thread?