What is the normal operating temperature for a 2002 Chevy Impala?

Answer 1

On the police dash, the needle should not be more than one notch over the middle mark. On every other 3.8L motor dash, the needle should generally hover around the middle. My 3.4L temp now runs steady at about 185 on the panel gage after I replaced the thermostat. Prior to this, it was running down around 150 and fluctuating. This caused a "check engine" light. Auto Zone connected their scanner which read " low temp; replace thermostat". They erased the fault code free. I have about 75000mi on my Imp. The themostat is a 195 degree unit. Note that when the gage needle is on the center mark, it indicates 200 degrees.