engine temp guage

[Jordan325iC]

This is my 2nd car ever, and with my first car ('86 528e) I didn't even think to check the temp guage. My parents never taught me that, so I didn't really start thinking about it until I started giving a shit about my car (my e30). But since I've never observed the normal operation of the temp guage, I don't know how it should act.

Right now the needle sits completely to the left, or sometimes it bounces into the middle. Pretty sure that's not right. What do you think is wrong?

[Adrian_Visser]

what year is your car? bmw electronic instrument clusters tend to go for shit after a while and thats not to say the sensor itself on the thermostat housing is still good, but if the guage is all the way off to the left most of the time that means that it isnt getting a signal. usually the circuit board in the instrument cluster develpos intermittant contact somewhere in it. it seems the PCB's were made of inferior material... you could i suppose try buying another instrument cluster but then the odometer wouldnt read the actual milage on your car. look at the bright side At least your speedo still works my e28's speedo was screwy when i got the car and a "new" cluster i got from a parts car had the same problem.

[Jordan325iC]

My odo broke two years ago anyway. I was thinking about just replacing the gear, but if replacing the whole cluster will make the temp read right I'll do that.