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Temp gauge stuck

Z

ZeroHour

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Feb 7, 2005
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On top of the wondering news of a failing wheel bearing, this morning I start my car and was waiting for it to warm up before throwing it in gear. I look down and my temp gauge is pinned all the way to the right (pass red). I was like wtf? So I shut the car off, waited 30 seconds, started it again, needle didn't move and hasn't sense. The car is definately not overheating. If the car warmed up that fast in 30 degree weather It would be a miracle. lol

Any suggestions? Or where to start? I would image it is either the temp gauge or the sending unit. And do I have to drain the fluid to change the sensor?

TIA
 
It is most likely the ECT gauge sender that is bad. It is the copper looking sensor below the letter "C" in the word "Coolant" shown here in this old post:

Old Post:

A fair amount of coolant will spill out. It isnt a bad idea to drain/flush the system. Also, have you replaced the stock plastic impellar water pump with a new metal one?
 
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I bought the car at 66 (?) thosand until there I do not know the maintenace or work on the car prior except for some obvious work done by the dealer. It is not the water pump it would be very identifiable if its broken...the car is NOT overheating because it was below freezing only running for 1-2 minutes before I noticed the gauge.

I do know the coolant was flushed before I bought it, the fluid was way too clean for a used car @ 6x,xxx. And at mentioned above its not the fluid system itself. Its electrical.

One thought I had was does the gauge go to either end if the cable is disconnected? I find it kinda funny that the car did not throw a CEL with the temp gauge past the red.

And how much is a fair amount? like a shot, a pint, or half a gallon? "some" gas comes out when you change the fuel filter, which isn't much at all, but you could call it a fair amount. lol Any rough estimate?
 
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ZeroHour said:
It is not the water pump it would be very identifiable if its broken...the car is NOT overheating because it was below freezing only running for 1-2 minutes before I noticed the gauge.
Click to expand...
Did you read that old thread I posted, lol? I know its not the WP, it is the temp gauge sender unit. When my original plastic impellar water pump failed, my car overheated. After I replaced the WP my temp gauge did exactly what yours is doing. Get a new sensor, IIRC its less than $10 and takes about 10 mins to change!

Do some searching in the old forums, you will find a ton of answers to your questions.
 
After you replace the sending unit, keep a close eye on that gauge. Your waterpump will fail soon, mine failed at 78 kmiles. Hopefully the needle will unstick. In fact, unplug the wire from the sender, gauge should drop to zero eventually, mine did after it was stuck. The sending unit shorts out, you might find it feels wobbly when you unplug it.
 
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Hmm Seeing I need to put in a new wheel bearing I might just wait on the water pump until I build back up my cash. But swapping out water pumps should be no problem. And if I need to flush the system to change the temp guage I might as well do the waterpump.

do new waterpumps come with the metal impellar?


Edit: Another question, Does the temp sending unit have any control of the fan? I did not notice the fan running, but I'm not sure if it will run at all now.
 
I have a metal waterpump I looked it up, part number 252-467 Delco. You might get one here. Autozone may have one like it, their site had no information. The fan should come on when the a/c is turned on, unless it is cold out. Here is a fan circuit test topic. The sending unit for tha gauge only runs the gauge, the Ford dealer is the best bet for that. There are 2 kinds, 1 pin and 2 pin. The ECT sensor runs the car.
 
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