Temp gauge acting funny.....

[trevor818]

So couple of days ago it was hotter than hell in SoCal.. i had my nephew in the car with me and he kept complaining about how hot it was so i just turned on the blower just so he would shut up... ok anyway i got out of the car for about 15-20 minutes and left it running with the blower on.. when i came back to the car the Temp gauge was one line past 12 o clock almost in the red area. i turned the car off right away.. 20 minutes later i started it up and it moved back a little once i started to drive it went back to 12 o clock and the check coolant light came on. after letting the engine cool down i added more coolant not much at all maybe half a cup.

Today i noticed that the Temp gauge kept creeping back and forth past 12 o clock and a little more closer to red than NORMAL i kept the heat on and that kept it under control so i could make it home. and again the coolant light came on but there was enough coolant in the tank......? so what the heck is going on?? i did a little research and it was saying it could be my thermostat is bad?? or maybe my coolant isn't feeding right (i think if that was the case it would be red hot?)

Anyway I'm going to take a look in the morning...

Any input would be great!! thanks guys!

--- the heat does work. so i don't think it needs bleeding.. but idk haha

[jlevie]

If this only happens when the car is idling or moving at low speed, the fan clutch is prime suspect. But a thermostat that isn't fully opening or a partially clogged radiator are possibilities.

[trevor818]

its happening when I'm accelerating also it moves little more past 12 o clock then goes back once cold air starts going across the engine and after i little of time it starts to move again even when I'm at medium to high speed so just keep the heat on and it stays at 12 o clock.

[heatmakerz]

Definitely perform a newspaper test on the fan clutch. Visually inspect for an leaks. If those test out, test thermostat and check radiator for clogs.

[trevor818]

fan clutch defiantly working messed up sum newspaper! no leaking that i can see. I'm almost 99.99% sure its there thermostat. I'm changing it over the weekend.

[Quinthirty]

Check fuse #3 which is the for the auxiliary fan at 196F, it might be busted.

[Jaxx_]

The cooling system should be able to perform well even without the auxiliary fan. My money is on the thermostat as well.

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[uturn]

I chased a high coolant temp gremlin to find out it was the temp sender. Shoot your hose Temps to check if you're really running hot.

[mitchlikesbikes]

I chased a high coolant temp gremlin to find out it was the temp sender. Shoot your hose Temps to check if you're really running hot.

this.

[jdt10768]

is the temp sender the one that plugs in to the top/right corner of radiator on pass side?

my gauge is creeping past middle, and I've replaced radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump, aux fan etc - since car is fairly new to me.

what's interesting: if I tap on the cluster, the temp gauge drops back to middle. Bad gauge, batteries dead in there? not sure - but I don't think I am actually running hot.

[uturn]

The gage sender is near the thermostat, should be the brown one. The blue one is for the ecu. I've also had worn solder on the cluster board where the gage contacts that made it act erratic.