American Motors: cooling system, radiator hoses, degree thermostat

Question
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Followup To
Question -
I have a 1981 AMC eagle SX/4 with the 258 engine and an automatic transmission.  The frist year I drove the car the heat worked fine and the temp guage read in the middle of the green zone.  last winter the thermostat began to stick closed so I replaced it with another 195 degree thermostat.  Since replacing the thermostat the car runs cold.  In the summer it will run at normal temp, but as the  weather gets cooler the engine runs colder.  I've replaced the thermostat 3 times so I've ruled it out as the source of the problem.  I get heat in the operator compartment when the car runs at normal temp, but not when the car is running cold.  So this isn't so much a heater core question as it is an engine running cold question.  Any ideas about what may be cuasing this condition?  

      Freezing In Ohio
Answer -
How long does it take for the engine to get to operating temperature when it is cold outside? and in the summer? When you remove the radiator cap and run the engine, do you see the coolant circulate, hot and cold? Has the water pump been replaced? What temperature do the upper and lower radiator hoses and heater hoses feel like when the engine is running? Also, when the engine is running, can you feel the radiator fins and locate any cold areas? Sorry for the questions, but the more I know, the better I can help. Let me know. Thanks.
Kevin

Follow Up-
When it is cold the car never gets to a correct operating tempt.  I took it on a 2 hour trip and the guage just barely hit the bottom of the green zone .  In the summer it takes maybe 5 - 10 minutes to get to opperating temp.  The water pump has not been replaced.  The temp of the hoses depends on the temp of the air outside.  In hot weather they're too hot to touch.  When its 5 degrees outside the upper hose is only slightly warm.  You could lay your hand on the radiator all day and not get burned.  I can't feel the radiator fins with the car running due to the fan and shroud.  Last winter I placed cardboard in front of the upper 1/4 of the radiator (actually in front of the A.C. Condenser which is located in front of the radiator) and this had absolutely no effect on the operating temperature.  I did notice that when gently sqeezing the upper radiator hose I can hear the radiator cap  opening and I'm pretty sure I'm not applying 12 psi of pressure so tomorrow I plan on replacing the cap.

Answer
Got a good one here.
If you can place your hand on the upper hose, it could mean the coolant is circulating too quickly through the engine which is keeping the engine too cool. If the stat was restricting the flow, the engine should be getting hot. Try a 205 degree stat. Then, feel the heater hoses. One should be very hot, the other a little cooler, and the upper hose should be the hot one. Also, use a 50/50 mixture of coolant. If you do this, please let me know what happens. In the mean time, I'm going to do a little more investigating. Thanks.
Kevin