I would take a look at the coolant temp sensor. My car is an auto and I can see the transmission and engine temperatures independently with the torque app and they are usually within a degree difference which makes sense because both fluids go through the same heat exchanger. For the blue light to come one, the engine would've have to drop to under 130 F which is very unlikely.

 

As far as I can tell, the ATF fluid temp reading in the Torque app is not genuine. There is a Fiat enhanced diagnostic PID for ATF fluid temp that appears to be accurate, but Torque doesn't have access to that PID.

 

The thermostat simply opened whilst driving. It's what it does. Add to the fact that you had cool air blowing through the radiator fins, and the coolant temp got a little cooler than usual.

If you had too little or too much coolant, it would either boil over or overheat, take your pick.

Nothing to worry about, big man. better the car runs slightly cooler then slightly hotter

 

I don't have a lot to contribute other than to post a shaky pic of where my temperature gauge runs in the summer with the AC on and the engine fully warmed up.

 

I don't have much to contribute either, headed to Rangeley in my truck for some Brook Trout fishing, rib smoking, and campfire beers. Best guesses are "normal", or temp sensor/wiring connector minor glitch. Thermostat should not open until the engine reaches full operating temp., so maybe a t/stat glitch. Keep your eyes on it. Well, maybe one eye - gotta watch the road too! Best, s.

 

Ok yeah didn’t quite get the blue light on but the tick below what @Magoffin posted. Hopefully you all are correct about the cooler air, I was near the bay and coasting? I checked everything and no boil over no spills or popped out freeze plugs. Thank god! Thank you all for reassuring me everything is ok. As it better be at only 2300 miles.

 

The position of the temp gauge in the photo posted by @Magoffin is right about where mine always resides once the car is up to temp, regardless of outside temperature. I'm guessing it's a pretty normal situation.

 

Same with me. It can be freezing or a hundred. Once the engine has warmed up that’s where it stays.

 

Right now here in AZ, any time you turn a vehicle on the temp needle will come off the bottom line before it is even started. 150F under the hood in the afternoon is NORMAL. Seatbelts and coins will cause 2nd degree burns, soda cans or bottles will rupture as will butane lighters when left inside. I found out all these things the hard way my first summer here in 06.

 

My temperature gauge is steady at the same point pictured and noted by others. It reaches that temperature quickly enough; the blue warning lamp having extinguished at 130 F after a few blocks. When the ambient temperature is cold the car’s interior heater warms up quickly, too. Whether on the highway or stop & go surface streets the OBD II reading is steady at 170 F +/- a few degrees, in the range of 160 - 190 I’m accustomed to seeing thermostats rated for. The car runs fine.

My other four-cylinder turbo runs consistently twenty degrees hotter (according to OBD data) and the Internet thinks that’s the low end of the optimum range. That 190 F is represented on that car’s gauge as dead center, with no cooling-related issues in its eighteen years.

If what’s pictured, at 170 F, is normal I’d rather that be the value in the middle of the gauge’s range. From a usability perspective, our gauge scale says to me that anything below 210 would be too cold to stress the engine (when the blue light should be on) and that 230 would be the normal operating temperature (or high end of the normal range). I agree with this comment, and the MX-5's revision.

 

 

What do you normally see for ATF temps? Mine usually sits around 180-190 degrees after a long drive unless I’m in stop-and-go traffic (sometimes hits as hot as 212 if I push it and then sit in every lasting standstills lol).

 

I had read a while ago that temperature gauges in cars aren’t real gauges. They don’t want average drivers to worry when the actual temperature goes up and down with operation.

A long long time ago a friend killed a Honda Civic going up and over the grapevine north of L.A. I guess he super cooled the engine after the long climb up and coasting downhill and that was that.

 

Super cooled the engine? I've never heard of anything like that. The only reason for the thermostat is to allow the engine to heat up enough so you have a heater that works.

 

Looks like I was misinformed.

 

Has anyone had this problem....2017 spider abarth, car runs cool at start-up then in about 6 min temp gauge pegs out max reading high temp. eng. temp light blinking but engine is physically cool and the fan is not on, there is no boiling over. shut car down, start back up gauge shows cool then jumps again to a max setting...yet engine is normal temp???

 

I would look into your coolant temp sensor being faulty. Or maybe a short to ground somewhere in the wire harness.

 

Thanks mtnghost, can you give me an idea as to where the sensor is located.

 

On the back of the head near the thermostat. You would need a mirror and flashlight or to remove the plastic cowl and metal cowl bracket under the plastic one. Both need removal to “access” it’s still very rough to get at. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks mtnghost...looks like I will be busy tomorrow.

 

Just to let you know if you add the @ before any of our user names it will notify us. Just Incase you need answers quicker. I have just happened to check the pages for new posts and find your questions. Let me know if you need any clarification along the way that maybe I can make the repair a bit easier. Oh and this is a big one when you take the plastic cowl off, immediately grab a beach towel or something soft and cover the bottom edge of the wind screen. If you even look at it wrong you risk shattering it.

 

Thanks. Am I going to need to bleed the coolant system after replacing the sensor?

 

If you have to replace the sensor, likely not just keep the coolant cap on it will just push coolant and air out with the pressure inside and keeping the coolant cap on wil ensure you don’t loose too much coolant. I recommend getting a scan tool also so you can watch temperatures. You can run the car with the scan tool hooked up and read current data and compare your gauge data to your scan tool data. That would be first step, then if the data is off proceed to physically checking the wires, connector, and lastly replacing the sensor.

 

Thanks