Originally Posted by Maungahau

Hi there
I recently acquired a 1995 Mistral with TD27 deisel engine, done 22,000km. It is a good runner, except that the temp fluctuates quite dramatically in accordance with engine load. Does anyone else experience this?
Once the engine is warmed up and the thermostat open, the gauge stabilises on 1/2. Then, going up a sustained hill the gauge goes quickly up to 2/3 then going down the other side of the hill, the gauge quickly drops to 1/3. It recovers to 1/2 along the flat. I've had the thermostat replaced, the gauge and sender unit checked for accuracy, and recently the viscous fan unit and water pump replaced, all under warranty. Now the Nissan dealer is telling me this is normal behavior for this engine in Mistrals and Terranos!
I'd be real interested to hear other comments and experiences with this phenomena.