Now I’m scared!
Never fear, Marc
You live in Marblehead. You’ll get crab nests instead.
Trying to comprehend this, you had a 225 engine temp then drove it for two hours and now have a 195 engine temp. My guess is that your evicted a critter nest and lucky you didn't toast the engine.
No Alan was 225 after a highway drive yesterday. Today after a non highway drive for similar time with top speed at maybe 40 mph, thermometer temp was 195. Just establishing a base line of sorts.
As long as you don't have a mouse house, I'd add an extra external oil cooler, oil thermostat, and electric fan with a relay/switch.
My money is on the mice though, those temps are pretty high for a stock/nearly stock engine. Especially with the ambient temps you were running the car in.
@Marc Orloff You said that you looked to see if there was a nest, but you didn't see anything. How exactly did you do this inspection?
Keep on driving it. When it overheats and fails, a new motor might solve your problem. Maybe.
You also need to check the exhaust. I just saw a little chipmunk hop up into the exhaust tip on my Subaru. I started the car, and out came a bunch of leaves...
Guess I need to hit the hardware store for some rat traps. Add peanut butter. Death ensues...
I just did a visual around the engine and underneath. Ill check the exhaust tomorrow. Any other spots to look at?
@Bob: IM S6 posted:You also need to check the exhaust. I just saw a little chipmunk hop up into the exhaust tip on my Subaru. I started the car, and out came a bunch of leaves...
Guess I need to hit the hardware store for some rat traps. Add peanut butter. Death ensues...
Bob... Best easy trap is a 5 gallon plastic bucket, pass a 1/2" wood dowel horizontal through the top of the bucket so it spins freely as you do this feed the dowel through plastic Coke bottle so that it also spins freely . In the bucket pour 2" of water w/ 50% anti freeze . A dab of peanut butter at the center of the Coke bottle. Place a piece of wood or cardboard as a ramp up to the top of the bucket " Mickey" and friends will climb the ramp, go out onto the bottle it will spin and dump them into the water .
Marc, I’m not sure you’re going to be able to see a mouse nest in your cooling shroud or tins without some disassembly.
I had trouble with squirrels in my attic and bought one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Within 24 hours there was a dead squirrel inside. It got another one after that.
It would work for mice too. Maybe I should put one in the garage too.
In the garage, I have a device that makes ultrasonic noise they supposedly don't like. I don't know if it really works or not. But, the poison in the garage isn't getting eaten so that suggests the noise thing is working.
@Marc Orloff posted:I just did a visual around the engine and underneath. Ill check the exhaust tomorrow. Any other spots to look at?
On the back side of the shroud, connected to the alternator is a fan wheel. It looks a lot like Gordon's picture above (different, but not that different). The entire setup is way too tight against the firewall to get your hand behind. Stuff will often get sucked into that fan, even if mice have not built a nest. You might be able to pull the entire fan and alternator assembly off the engine without taking the shroud too, but only if somebody was kind enough to put thread-certs in the alternator stands instead of studs (almost nobody does).
Under the shroud, on top of the cylinder heads is another great spot for rodents to build nests. You won't be able to access this place unless you take the shroud off. Taking the shroud off with the engine in the car is... um... not a job to be undertaken without some mechanical experience. Often pulling the engine and doing it on a stand is easier.
Sorry.
Marc, here's a couple of pics of what Stan and others are referring to;
Here's the cooling fan that is attached to the alternator. You can reach behind the engine and feel if there is any debris on those fan blades.
Here is an engine pic with the alternator and shroud removed. The arrows point to likely areas (on top of piston barrels) that mice may have built nests. Click on pic to enlarge.
Hope this gives you some visual reference as to what everyone is talking about. 
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That is super helpful! Thanks