Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting my temp gauge died

I dont usually pay attention unless its really low or really high. the other day i was driving and it never raised up and has stayed down for 3 days now. whats up??? how can i fix this. thanks alot

must be temp. gauge day. where was yours reading when it was working. what was the range.

Anyone ever hear of putting in a lower temp. thermostat? Lotsa Mustang guys do this for more HP. Why?

contour guy,
there is some theory about more power at lower temps, in my camaro i had a 160 degree cause it was mandatory with a hypertech chip i got. it took my 3.1 v6 from 126 dynoed horses to 134 so it helped. but i dont know the actual reson why.

and to dealer 502 my guage was always pretty much in the middle when it worked, and then one day when i started it and started driving it just never came up, it stayed at the bottem.

check your electrical connection to your temp. sending unit. it looks like a spark plug to the right of your intake resonator. if it looks okay, your sending unit is bad. a new one is like $12. easy to replace. a little spilled coolant is all you'll have. screw the old one out and the new one in, then secure the electrical connection.

At lower temps the fuel burns more efficient. Greater efficiency yields more power. Keep in mind that going to cold, say 140 or 150 deg. t-stat can actually hurt power. Ever notice that on cool days the car runs better and pulls harder? That's why.
Maybe someone like Terry can give a more technical answer?
Mike

On the V6 the temp gage sender is the firt to check.Its on the X tube casting on the water outlet from the cyl heads,early cars have a single pin connection,later 2000 have two,take off the connector and with ign on ,ground the connection and watch for needle deflection on the gage.If no movement more chance its the gage,if it moves then the sender is shot.PS the ref to the 'spark plug sender' on the air intake is the intake air temp sensor but I assume we are talking coolant temp gage here!

I always thought the car ran better in cold temps due to the cold outside air. Cold air = more power.

Lower coolant temps give more HP and require lower octane.Higher coolant temps give better economy but need higher octane....160-180 deg is ideal...

Well colder air helps too. I mean the principle is the same though, colder combustion chamber = more power. Having a lower temp t-stat causes it to open at a lower temp, and with the cooler water running across the heads that helps to lower the temp inside the CC.
Mike