possible heating problem

Talonboy95 · Sep 25, 2003

Hey guy about a week or 2 ago i think that my oil sending unit went on me cause the guage isnt working. It doesnt move at all. So im like ok i can live without that for now cause i always change before every 3000. I now have noticed that my temp guage is acting up. Normal city driving it seems ok but when on highway where i cruse at like 80mph nothing above , i nocited that my temp guage reads high then drops then goes back up, I was wondering if the oil sending unit going bad could have effected my temp guage ? I did also flush and refill with new anitfreeze and just went for a 20 min ride and its doing the same thing. If the oil unit wouldnt effect the temp guage is there a way to test the themostat ?

thanks

barney · Sep 25, 2003

Well, I don't mean to pick on you, but I've read what you wrote about a gauge not working too many times and, sorry, but I gotta unload.

The auto makers want to put in idiot lights because they are cheaper but also because, sooner or later, a gauge or its sender will act up and need maintenance. They'd replace the fuel gauge with an idiot light if they thought they could get away with it. I also believe the auto makers think we are too stupid to understand what a gauge is telling us.

Well, we are amongst the fortunate few who have an oil pressure gauge, and, it is front and center, right where this most important of all gauges should be.

Repairing the gauge is about as simple a job you can find on these cars. As for the heating, replace the thermostat right away and make sure the cooling system is full.

Talonboy95 · Sep 25, 2003

i can totally under stand what you say that it is a dummy light BUT on the flip side i still want it to work just in case something internal where to go wrong that im not aware of and the light comes on. I can then begin to do my research. The last thing i really want to do is have 13 aftermaket guages taking up vents and cluttering my dash because i replaced all manf guages. What really make you think that a aftermaket guage cant malf function just like a fctory one ?

I understand that the manf guages might be "cheap" but they get the job done for us daily drivers. If you need perfomace info from them of course you need aftermarket, but in my option aftermarket guages are not a fix.

thermostat will be replaced asap but cant do anything about it right now. thanks

barney · Sep 25, 2003

I didn't say anything about after market gauges??

The factory gauge pointer is a bimetallic strip that bends when heated by the electrical current flowing through it. The amount of current flowing is controlled by the sender, a variable resister that changes resistance with oil pressure.

The circuit is battery to gauge to sender to ground.

Check that the wire is connected at the sender. If it is, pull it off the sender and ground it. This should drive the gauge to full scale. If it does, the sender is bad. Otherwise it is the gauge or the wire.

Talonboy95 · Sep 26, 2003

yeah today when i was draining the fluid from radiator i tried to get the wire unpluged of the terminal but that damn thing wouldnt come off. I tried like 3 time and just said F it for now. I was going to just buy a new thermostat from mit. and see if that was the problem. I just thought that it was weird that as soon as the oil guage problem started so did the temp guage, which i dont think the car is really getting that hot just that the guage is reading wrong.

i will give that grounding a test , thanks

barney · Sep 26, 2003

Swap the thermostat right away. These engines, with their aluminum heads, don't take well to overheating. It soon results in a blown head gasket. The thermostat should be an automatic do anytime you see anything but normal on the gauge.

If the thermostat isn't it, you are out five bux and its time to figure out what else is happening.

maximumbob · Sep 26, 2003

Five bucks!!! Man I replaced my this summer and it was alot more. I was autozone and looking at the books and needed it that day. I see my number and am looking at the selection. I found it pretty quick on the bottom and the most expensive one, 25$. These cars are an arm and a leg to maintain...Sorry just venting, but I personally like aftermarket gauges that will tell you exactly the water temp etc., I guess I just dont trust the factory ones.

Bob

possible heating problem

Talonboy95

barney

Talonboy95

barney

Talonboy95

barney

maximumbob

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