Chrysler Repair: 1999 Chrysler 300m: temp gauge normal range?, chrysler 300m, 1999 chrysler 300m

Question
hello, my car has 124,000 miles on it. last winter i had a new water pump w/thermostat and anti-freeze installed. now, (late spring) the temp hovers around the middle of the gauge or over if the a/c is on. the fans both operate fine. once the temp reachs the middle of the gauge, it never goes below that line like it did in the years past. what gives? could it be an air bubble or bad thermostat, or maybe i need a flush?
Thank you for any help,
james williams

Answer
Hi James,
It could be the way the new thermostat functions compared to the old one. But from what I have read in the manuals there is no problem with your current situation. The fact that it stays around the middle to maybe 7/8 scale with the a/c on is not abnormal. An air bubble would probably cause the fluctuation in the readings that you experienced previously. The fact that on the average it may be running warmer, but not right below the top end, means the engine is operating as efficiently as it can.
Roland