Heater not working up to par

Brando8912 said:

Yeah i am running a mr gasket tstat replaced back in April. I cant remember if it was 160 or 180. On my dummy gauge on the dash i am at the "o" in normal. I have good clean fluids as they were all replaced a couple months ago and are still full.

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Most folks recommend you don't go lower than 180 - stock is 190. 160 usually doesn't let the engine heat up enough to operating temp, and supposedly can cause excessive wear to the engine over time. If your stiock gauge is reasonable correct, being on the "o" is a good operating temperature.

The heater works directly off of coolant temperature. So by putting in a higher-flow thermostat, the coolant doesn't heat up as much thus reducing the heat output from the heater. I live in Los Angeles so I have no proper comparison to the cold most of the rest of the country is having, but it's entirely possible it's just so bitter cold that the heater just isn't putting out enough heat.