Hey guys, tried searching but couldn't find much info on this... I have an issue with my dash temp gauge, basically it takes a looooong time to go up to 3 bars and then sometimes it drops back down to 2 bars!! It seems very strange and can't really figure out what might be causing it. I've tried playing around with the coolant temp sensor near the firewall but I couldn't seems to budge it or move the rubber boot at all. Any help would be appreciated!

 

I think your thermostat is stuck open or malfunctioning. I had that on my car, it actually threw a CEL for low coolant temp as the ecu expects to see a full hot engine after a certain amount of time and when it doesn't it can throw a CEL. The car actually performs worse when it is too cold. If the coolant temp drops from 3 bars to 2 bars as you are driving then the thermostat is not working properly, temps should never drop down once it is fully warm.