Well ever since my most recent oil change (1 month prior) I've been notice my engine temperatures have gone up at least a good 10 degrees. I've had the car almost two years so I know what normal ranges for it normally are. Here are the ranges I've been experiencing (this is in an LE5):

Highway cruising (55 mph)
Previous - 189 degrees
Current - roughly 199 degrees I've seen 200's

Short redlight
Previous - 200ish
Current - 210+ sometimes. The fan almost always kicks on

Stop + idle
Previous - Depends on the weather but in this cold i'd expect it to take a while to reach high ranges
Current - Fan ALWAYS comes on multiple times.

It doesn't seem THAT bad but I definately notice a difference. I'm running the exact same oil I had in before I changed it, 5w-30 Royal Purple. The only thing that changed was the oil filter. I went from a PureOne Purlator to a NAPA Gold Series.

I'll admit I wait a while longer between changes and the filter didn't look too hot when I pulled it out and put a new one in. But it bothers me because the temperatures were normal with the old oil/filter.

Is it possible I didn't let it drain properly and have too much in? Could that cause an overheating? I let it drain for quite a while on the oil ramps and I've checked the dipstick... it's above the fill line a BIT but not much. I used the standard 5 quarts just like always. What concerns me are the highway cruising temps... especially since it's cold outside.

 

Hard to diagnose over a computer...oil change shouldn't affect engine temps if you have enough oil and the filter was installed correctly. What do you mean when you said the filter didn't look too hot?

Check:
Coolant level (watch the overflow reservoir -- is it going up and down or staying the same)
something blocking the radiator (like a plastic bag)
Are the fans spinning -- sound like it's running but not turning
Thermostat gone bad

 

replace the coolant...........and as long as a CEL dosnt trip the temps are ok

 

sounds fine to me...

 

When the car does get up to 210 or even 200 this should not alarm you. ONLY when these temperatures do not go down should you freak. My car runs from 185-200 all the time. As soon as the car gets to 200 at a red light and i start to drive it drops very quickly back to about 186-187 so i know the thermostat is working properly. i also see higher temps during cold weather but not sure why

 

ME TOO!

my 2008 2.4 just started that too! it would always register at 189 - 196. now it has been staying around 196 - 201!! when i put on the heat full blast, it goes down to 194ish. as soon as i put the heat back down to the off or first setting...she climbs back up. (reasons are common sense on that one) i have owned 44 cars (corvettes, european cars, etc) and always found the reason - obstruction on the radiator, thermostat and alike. but this one has got me stumped...is it because it is winter and the computer is compensating for the temp changes (obd telling it to hold temp for better cabin heat) (?) - i don't know!! i have checked everything i could minus the obd...but i have not set off a code. though the temp is considered normal, it just puzzles me that it has changed from what i was used to!!
i understand that thermostat regs the coolant temp, but something tells me the computer has its hand in this too!

i only have 16500 miles on the car and noticed the change around 11000...

so - i do "see" what you see!!

by the way...i have not seen the car read 189 - 193 in a long time on full warm up!

 

its prolly fine the filter deff wont cause that plus napa filters are wicks filters which is a good filter if ur really worried get some radiator additive or turn the ac on sooner itll command the fans on

 

your temps are already high to begin with. take it to the dealer. tell them the thermostat is stuck in a 70%-80% closed position.

 

Check the radiator. But ~190 is normal. And as long as it's not throwing a code or warning light you should be alright. But also check the resovior and there is a chance you may have a little too much oil. Try draining a little bit out of it so it gets down to the fill line and see what happens.

 

mine has gone up to 220 when stuck in traffic

you are fine

 

Bad condition.

The car is still seeing 199 degrees at 55mph cruise speeds. I checked the coolant it seems alright. It reaches these temperatures too often and I'm not going to bother trying to mess with the oil level. I already have a CEL for lean condition and cat efficiency so I'm not sure if it's throwing a light for heat, but I doubt it. It's still too high though.

I'm going to take it to the stealership the next opportunity I get.

It's definately not only reaching these temperatures at freak periods like it should normally. It used to ALWAYS run at 189 degrees... I'm pretty convinced something's happened.

 

Lean conditions cause heat -- definitely take it to the dealer and have them check it out!!

I've seen exhaust manifolds glow on a NA car when they are running lean.