900 SE Turbo 1996 , on "Check Engine" light and ..

A used 1996 900 2.0 Turbo AT recently landed in my hands. Not really brand
new, and rather over 200 000 km already done.

Briefly the "Check Engine" light came on. Having googled through this group
I pointed a handful of possible causes. Another thing I noticed is that the
engine temperature gauge does not stick to the half-way point of the scale
even after a long drive but more like one quarter down from it. (We've had
temperatures just above or below freezing here). Should it normally heat up
to the mid-point or is this a feature more than a sign of malfunction. My
best guess is a faulty thermostate, which would in turn explain the "Chek
Engine" light? Am I on the right track?

S.
--
Deja. Before you buy.

Simo wrote:
 > A used 1996 900 2.0 Turbo AT recently landed in my hands. Not really brand
 > new, and rather over 200 000 km already done.
 >
 > Briefly the "Check Engine" light came on. Having googled through this group
 > I pointed a handful of possible causes. Another thing I noticed is that the
 > engine temperature gauge does not stick to the half-way point of the scale
 > even after a long drive but more like one quarter down from it. (We've had
 > temperatures just above or below freezing here). Should it normally heat up
 > to the mid-point or is this a feature more than a sign of malfunction. My
 > best guess is a faulty thermostate, which would in turn explain the "Chek
 > Engine" light? Am I on the right track?
 >
 > S.
 > --
 > Deja. Before you buy.
 >
 >
Temp needle should point directly at 9 o'clock once warmed up. Modest
fluctuations up or down are masked by the instrument computer, so in
normal driving it should never move. The range of change that triggers
needle movement can be set by the Tech-2 scanner. Sounds like a bad
t-stat, and that definitely could cause the CEL you saw.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->