I just recently changed my thermostats out on my LB7. Well, like 4 months ago. But before, it took quite some time to heat up, and never really got above 165-170. With the new OEM / AC Delco thermostats, it quickly gets up to 190-195, and stays there in every driving condition I've been in so far. Hot, cold, freeway, around town, etc. Always 190-195.
So I'd say your 196 is right on the money.
Also, my in-dash gauge measures like 20+ degrees warmer than it actually is.
Maybe you had lower temp t-stat or one stuck open. I always recommend putting new t-stats in boiling water to measure their open point and at what temp.Going to bring this thread back to life instead of starting a new one. Whats the ideal temp for a diesel engine to run at for efficiency sake? I put a new thermostats in my truck last mouth to see if it could get the truck to warm up quicker to help with a cylinder thats a bit low on compression. Needless to say, it doeent really warm up faster, it just gets hotter. Cruising down the interstate this time of year it used to be about 170-175 Degrees and now its 195. I think I prefer the old thermostats since my underhood temp/air intake temp where lower and my cooling system has a bit more time to dissipate heat when under a big load than normal. I would like some thoughts on the matter.