I wanted the fan to run as it was designed to run in its stock configuration – both fans running in both high and low speed. If you want to keep the engine nice and cool under high load, an engine oil cooler is ideal. Of course, factors such as air conditioning, towing and idling at a stop will impact this, but you should be fine if your car is running at anywhere between 190-220 degrees. Most vehicles on the road today will have either an analog or digital temperature gauge, whose needle should be stationary around halfway up throughout your drive. Engines vary. Put in new coolant in the radiator and run the engine to burp out all of the air. If you want to run the engine cooler, change the thermostat and reprogram the thermo fans to come on earlier. Normal engine temperature. It will never go below this when the engine is on for a decent amount of time 160-170F - Uncommon during normal operation. The average operating temperature of an engine is found by measuring the temperature of the thermostat housing with an infrared thermometer and should be between 180-200 degrees Fahrenheit. The only problem you will have is in the winter months, it will take a lot longer for your engine to heat up to operating temperature. Various parts of the engine can reach different temperatures depending on their location and function inside the engine. The car can run fine without a thermostat, it will not overheat because of the missing thermostat. When on the highway, the temp can dip down into the mid 170s occasionally when coasting down a hill. The normal operating temperature for a modern (e.g., 1996+) automobile engine, manufactured for sale or use in the US, will fall between 200 and 250 degrees F. … Safe would be around 190F, 90 C. Commonly a water cooled engine may run at 220F, 105C maybe even 230F, 110C in the summer with the AC on without significant problems. The thermostat you should use in your vehicle is a 170 degree for summer and 180 degree for winter. An engine is operating normally when the needle points at the center or near the center of the gauge. In order to achieve this I decided to run a 2 stage BMW temp switch (176/190*F dual temp switch Part # 61318361787) , mounted in … Water Temperature - Description < 160F - Warming up to normal operating temperature. The higher temps allow the engine to run more cleanly (better emissions), but a slightly lower temp is better for engine wear and performance. If you need further assistance with changing your thermostat , then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you. Meanwhile, if we are referring to the highest temperature before an engine ultimately stops working, it can reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 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