On my 22re, the temperature gauge never stays at the halfway mark. When the engine is first warming up it will sometimes go past the halfway mark and then slide back down to about 2/5 of the way "full".

Now I've been told a few things about thermostats. Someone told me that the temperature gauge is supposed to stay at the halfway point and if it doesn't, then the thermostat is stuck open. Is this true? Is it supposed to stay halfway "hot"? And since mine doesnt stay that way, does my thermostat need replaced?

 

once it slides back down to the 2/5, does it stay there?
It does sound like the t-stat may be sticking. when you first start it, push the heat controls to a little colder temperature.

 

Yes. When it's first warming up it climbs a little over the halfway point and then drops down to about 2/5, where it stays the rest of the ride.

 

ya. that sounds like the t-stat is sticking. When you first start it up, push the heater control to a colder temperature. that seems to work for me. Or just deal with it as long as it doesnt overheat or goes up and stays up it should be okay. Or get a dual stage t-stat...or even just a new single.
2/5 is about what it should be at. it kind of all depends where you live and what kind of coolant you have in it. both mine are just below exactly half. After I replaced the radiator in the '93, it started to run like a needle width warmer. it startled me at first, but im used to it now.

 

Ok. sounds good. I was just curious if my truck was running normal.

I took the car to the pressure wash and blasted off all the grease and it started running a needle width cooler. Lol. I thought that was a good thing.

 

another thing with the 22re is the outlet to the heater is separate (between cylinders 2 & 3) from the thermostat housing (in front of cylinder 1) and the pump can circulate water to the heater then back to the pump completely bypassing the thermostat.
like mentioned, if you keep the heater on cold until you warm up, the 'overshoot' on the gauge should lessen if not go away completely.

thanks 4Crawler: http://4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/...tml#Thermostat

 

The overshoot doesnt really bother me, but it's just never done that on any vehicle i've owned, so I was just curious. I was worried that it may be a sign of a pressure leak or something else in the radiator/cooling system.

 

I just posted the same problem a couple weeks ago. This dual stage thermo did the trick. http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...tml#TstatOrder Runs at the normal temp, 1/4 way. Make sure its a toyota part. It took them two days to get in. $34.00, gasket o ring $7.00.