Heater fixed itself but why?

[xtreem3d]

i have an lx565 with heat and cab. since the beginning of winter the heater would blow but only cold air. At the same time i noticed that the engine temp would always read COLD no matter how long we used it. today just for kicks i turned the fan on and i had heat, then just out of curiousity i scrolled the dash and got the engine temp to read out . how could those 2 things be related? i just figured maybe the potentiometer went out at the same time the temp sender did
steve

 

[xtreem3d]

think i have it figured to be a stuck open thermostat..that would explain both issues at the same time

 

[Tazza]

think i have it figured to be a stuck open thermostat..that would explain both issues at the same time

I would have suspected the same. I'd have thought it would have gotten a little warm, but in sub zero temperatures, it may not....

 

[jerry]

I would have suspected the same. I'd have thought it would have gotten a little warm, but in sub zero temperatures, it may not....

my lx665 did the same when I first got it, always read cold. used a non-contact temp gauge to check both sides of housing and replaced $30 thermostat. warms up now in a few minutes.