temp gauge wont work

[lethal_customs00]

Ive replaced the temp sensor, and that did nothing. I cant see any problem with the wire in the engine bay, so im lost. should i look into a bad gauge itsself? on a 83 with 2.3l

[rtg143]

What does the gauge do if you unhook the wire? How about if you ground it?

[lethal_customs00]

nothing when the wire is unhooked. I havent tried grounding the wire. ill try that tomorrow to see if that makes the gauge move at all

[kukaepe]

I've recently had a similar problem when my temperature gauge would not move off the Cold end of the scale. My 2002 3.0L has two temperature sending units. The one with two wires is called the "temperature sensor" and sends the temp to the ECU. The second temperature unit only has one wire going to it and it sends the signal to the temperature gauge. This unit was referred to by parts people as a "temperature sending unit or switch". I removed the one wire connector from the sender and grounded it....the gauge went to full Hot and I concluded the gauge and wiring was OK. Replaced the sending unit and still had the same results of the gauge staying at the "C" end of the scale. After a number of trips to the parts store to be sure I got the correct unit and exchanging it for another one I eventually removed the thermostat. What I found was a thermostat stuck in the open position....replaced the thermostat and gauge working fine. I suspect I never had a problem with the gauge or sending unit and the entire problem was the defective "fail in open" position thermostat that was only a year or so old. Moral to the story....buy the standard thermostat and not the fail in open position type. I hope my experience will save someone from chasing the wild geese I did before I found the problem.

[Hawk1339]

Originally Posted by kukaepe

Moral to the story....buy the standard thermostat and not the fail in open position type.

I don't know about that... I would rather have the thermostat fail in the open position rather than the closed position. It is the difference between (a) the engine not coming up to operating temperature but still being drivable, or (b) the engine overheating and not being drivable. If it fails open at least I can still limp home.

[det107]

Originally Posted by Hawk1339

I would rather have the thermostat fail in the open position rather than the closed position. It is the difference between (a) the engine not coming up to operating temperature but still being drivable

Back in the day when people were getting jobs in "The Big Apple" (or The Big Onion), the first thing they did was to remove the thermostat so the coolant would circulate in traffic. The thermostat makes the engine "hot" anyways.

Originally Posted by hawk1339

(b) the engine overheating and not being drivable.

Thar she BLOWS !!