Hi all,

According to the water temp gauge on my '98 V90 (125,000 miles), it doesn't always warm up to its previous "normal" temperature (approx. mid-range on the gauge) any more. Usually it only goes up to about one-third of the gauge range. During one half-hour drive a few weeks ago, the temp never got above about a needle's width from the bottom. Sometimes, however, it moves up to between 40% and 50% of gauge range.

I bought the car with 74,000 miles on it and had the cooling system flushed and coolant replaced by a local Volvo dealer (rather expensive) at about 75,000. It appears to me that the thermostat may be misbehaving, but my experience has been that they usually stick open or closed, and usually in cars with old coolant. Mine still looks new after a year and a half and 50,000 miles. Is there anything else I should consider before replacing the thermostat (and probably replacing the coolant)?

Thanks for any info.

Mike L ('98 V90, 125K; '82 245, 422K)