i have a 2.2 legacy with 108k

i had the car idling for about 10mins while i was checking the pulleys. the lower radiator hose is cold with no warmth at all, but the upper hose is hot and the temp gauge is at half. is it just the thermostat maybe hasnt open up yet, i would think that it should still feel warm, when i rev the engine the coolant does rise so the pump should be ok and i am losing a little bit of coolant but ive seen no leaks and cant smell anything

any ideas/comment

thanks

Lower hose is going to be 'cool' since that coolant has passed through the radiator already. Upper hose will be HOT becuase thats where its exiting the engine prior to cooling in the radiator.

 

Sounds fine to me juding by your guage. Thermostat could be serviced just for 'better safe than sorry' measures. I've had them stick SHUT in the past; bad bad mojo!

Normal until thermostat opens. Once it opens it should warm up. Thermostat is supposed to open before the fan comes on, so if your fan comes on and lower hose is still cool, it points to a circulation problem.