coolant temp guage above half.....normal???

hello,i just purchased a 2002 tacoma with the 3.4l v-6,auto trans.as ive owned 9-10 toyota pickups,this one is the first to have the coolant temp guage running right ABOVE half,all other trucks temps ran BELOW half.truck had 119,000 on it.i did a coolant flush and fill w/new t-stat 180 degree and new radiator cap.still running right above half.no change.is this normal???....also,there are no coolant leaks,i let truck run with rad. cap off topping off coolant occasionally so im sure there is no air in the system(i also was told by a friend to pull upper rad hose off and fill from it as well as radiator)

 

The OEM gauges aren't exactly 'precision instruments'. If it consistently stays in the vicinity of the half-way point (plus or minus) I wouldn't worry about it - assuming there are no other symptoms and it doesn't vary from that orientation.

 

+1
My truck's guage is always dead center, but I've had cars in the past that were just a touch above mid-way. They never moved, and I never had a problem w/ the car. If it's consistently in the same place, I'd consider it normal.

 

I have a 2001, 4cyl 5 spd that does the exact same thing. I did a fluid flush, put in a new 180f thermostat and it it just a touch higher than center. But it does not move from there. Glad I'm not the only one with a wanky gauge. it was this way before I did the flush and thermostat as well. So I guess that's just how it is.

Cheers.

 

thanks guys,at this point im gonna assume its operating in the normal temp range

 

My 2003 has run slightly above dead center since '05 when I purchased and I have never seen it move up or down... I would say it's running at normal operating temp.

 

These instruments are seldom very accurate intentionally. I have an old 55' Mercury and the gauge on that thing swings from 140-190 degrees all the time. Today that would freak people out. Thus if the engine is operating at an acceptable level, the gauge generally stays "somwhere" in the middle. I would not worry about it period.