engine temps not high enough?

[Ldub]

bringing this thread back to life... it got cold again.. and similar issue, just worse.. if i run my heater.. the vx takes a good 20 minutes to get to like 140*

even so I havent seen my water temp above 168* in the last 2 days and ive driven 30 min+ in traffic

so where is this thermostat and how hard is it to replace.. ive resorted to not using the heat to keep my temps up! honestly.. who has trouble keeping their water temperature up!?

The t-stat, unfortunately, is under the intake manifold.....

If you decide to replace it, rather than blocking some airflow to the radiator for the winter, you should replace the intake gaskets as well...
Also, get a new "O" ring for the hard pipe that goes into the T-stat housing.
The new T-stat comes with a new O-ring, so no worries about getting a new gasket.