Too Cold

[Got Molo]

This is kinda weird, but my 93 corolla actually runs TOO cold! I bought it a few months ago with 75,000 miles and it has about 79,000 now. I never really noticed because I do mostly city driving. When I'm sitting in traffic, the temp needle gets up to the half way point. But if I'm on the freeway, the needle BARELY gets off the 1st notch!! I think what ever is causing this is directly related to my slightly higher idle. When the temp needle is right in the middle, the idle is perfect, around 700 RPMs. Whenever the needle is at the bottom, the idle is about 1000 RPMs. So what do you guys think? Could my thermostat be stuck open? That would explain the massive amount of cooling, especially on the freeway. I guess I should start there and get back to you guys. Of course, this all depends on how accurate the stock temperature gauge is, which leads me to another question - does anyone make a gauge pod for the 93 corolla??

[Flashmn]

I'd start with the thermostat

[sponger]

The exact same thing happened to my '89 civic after I changed the radiator at around 205K. The needle never even lifted on the freeway and it wouldn't go above 1/4 on surface streets. I sold it at 220K running perfectly on the original motor, so I guess it wasn't anything serious.

[Got Molo]

Well, I replaced the thermostat and it seems to have fixed the idle issue. The engine also gets up to normal operating temperature much quicker. Haven't taken it on the freeway yet, but I'm pretty sure I got it. I guess it's better to run cooler rather than hotter