Temp Gauge Problem

[ozziemo27]

The temp gauge on my 99' Ranger XLT isn't responding at all. Could you guys suggest some of the things I could try and troubleshoot? Thanks!

 

[therieldeal]

My 89 is doing the same thing, not sure how similar they are but i'll be watching the thread

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

could be a bad sender. the sender is the single wire one near the t-stat housing. unplug it and ground the wire to any good chassis ground (or the negitive battery terminal). if the guage pegs, the guage and wiring are good and you need a new sender. if the guage doesnt move, you have a wiring or guage problem.

 

[ozziemo27]

heh, looks like it actually does work, I was up to highway speed on a backroad and it started to go up, and as I went home, it slowly went back down, Just not as sensative as the other vehicles that I have driven before....

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the guage has been "numbed" a little by ford...for the same reason your oil pressure guage is nothing but an idiot light. people get freaked out if their guages dont sit in the middle of the normal range...so the temp guage is slow to respond to temperature changes.

nothing beats a good set of aftermarket mechanical gauges

 

[ozziemo27]

the guage has been "numbed" a little by ford...for the same reason your oil pressure guage is nothing but an idiot light. people get freaked out if their guages dont sit in the middle of the normal range...so the temp guage is slow to respond to temperature changes.

nothing beats a good set of aftermarket mechanical gauges

haha, alright, thanks

 

[keviinxk]

hey guys

i have a 98 ranger thats doing the same.
i just did what the thread said and grounded it and saw a spike. i ran to get the new sensor and put it in and ran the truck for 5 mins or so and i didnt see the gauge go up. i know the truck was warming up because i had warm air coming out of the vents. should i drive the truck and give it more time or is their another issue?

thanks
kevin

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

5 minutes of idling isnt enough time to bring the truck up to operating temp. take it for a spin.

 

[keviinxk]

ok i just took it for a ride down the street to try out my new adjustable air struts. (theyre pretty cool by the way). but while i was messing with them i still had no gauge reading on the temp.
when i got the temp gauge though it was a tiny bit longer then the stock one and had a pointed tip instead of the cylinder shaped like the one i pulled off.
i figured it was just because it was a new design but could that be it?
thanks again
kevin

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

it could just be the difference in manufacturers, or it could be the wrong/misboxed sender.

i would varify the engines tempurature with a real guage to make sure you dont have a cooling system problem. just because your getting heat from your vents doesnt mean the engine is reach operating tempurature.

 

[calypso93]

How's your thermostat?

 

[keviinxk]

just put a t stat in it about 2 weeks ago. that was the first troubleshoot.

 

[RyanD2]

i would varify the engines tempurature with a real guage to make sure you dont have a cooling system problem. just because your getting heat from your vents doesnt mean the engine is reach operating tempurature.

Mechanical gauges were one of my first mods. Oil and Temp. Depending on what kind you get they are fairly inexpensive.

 

[woodyedmiston]

+1 Anyone who is serious about keeping tabs on what their engine is doing will get mechanical guages as soon as possible. Aftermarket guages elec. and mech are around $30

 

[keviinxk]

i pull a trailer a few times a week but i dont stress it to the point where i need to put a real time guage in it.
im not looking to monitor it closely i just would like it to function thats all.
is there a fuse for it that maybe i blew when i spiked it?\
thanks again everyone