Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications General Mods gauges

I know that the temperature gauge is "dampened" so that is goes to the middle and stays there as long as the car is within a certain range.... is there anyway to remove this dampening effect so the gauge will fluctuate with the temp?

i want to know what it doing without having to get an additional gauge in the car

oh my gauge moves there is no doubt to that but it goes from cold, sweeps up (over a period of 5-10 min) to the middle of the gauge and the just stays there doesnt move to the left or right at all it just stays fixed in the dead center of the gauge.... no mater how hot the car is it doesnt move. i want the gauge to sweep on concert with the temperature of the engine aka: i want to see it move, and i was under the impression that they were dampedwithin a certain range so you wouldnt have people saying my car runs hotter then my neighbors type situation

and my car has done this sence new... is it supposed to sweep with the actual temps???

Mine moves when the engine gets hotter/cooler.

Mine does the same

The gauge on my 95 Zetec moves with the engine temp as well. I know that Fords oil pressure gauges are fixed. They're no better that an idiot light, either you have pressure or you don't. From what I understand, there's a 20? ohm resistor attached somewhere behind the instrument cluster that keeps the needle in the normal zone. And the gauge is attached to same kind of sensor as an idiot light , as in either on or off instead of variable. It's bad enough that your gas gauge is constantly lying to you about the last few gallons in the tank, but some of the other gauges as well. I'm not too sure that I can take all of this dishonesty. Anybody else with a Y2K SVT want to chime in?

Unfortunately it seems like manufacturers put gauges in the car to make it look technical, and that the consumers hardly look at their gauges which is why we have switched mainly to idiot lights. If you want race track accuracy, you are going to have to go with aftermarket gauges. The stock ones just don't seem to cut it. My friend's old Cavalier and just about every other one I have seen (was in the early 1990's models) has their oil pressure gauge pegged when the car is started, and under idle sits in the middle quivering. My Camaro's gas gauge starts to fall off after 1/2 tank because apparently the gas tank is not a simple square shape, so by the time the gauge reads 1/2, it is actually only about 1/3rd. I think that this might be the case for the Contour as well because my gauge did the same thing. At least 200 miles to the 1/2 mark, and then steadily to E over the next 100 miles if I pushed it.

Ever sit in 100 degree weather, bumper to bumper for hmmmmm an hour? It'll go up then

Perhaps I'm too much of an optomist, but could it be that the cooling system actually keeps the engine at the right temperature most of the time? Just an addendum, I get 60 to 85 miles before my fuel gauge passes Full.