Technical erratic temp gauge

Currently reading:
Technical erratic temp gauge

Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
104
Points
82
Location
Sheffield
Any pointers on where to start much appreciated.
Car is a 1993 Fizz - the temp reading on the gauge has always got to about halfway, never into the red & the fan kicks in & out OK when the engine is hot. The heater works fine....the gauge has behaved the same before & after coolant change.
The car has been standing over winter & I've noticed when I first start & run it the temperature gauge doesn't move even when the engine gets hot. If I switch the ignition off & on again & run the engine after a few minutes the needle will creep up. When I switch the ignition off the needle will stick for a minute or so before dropping down.
After a couple more starts & stops the needle will behave normally - going up pretty smoothly & dropping down smoothly when the ignition is off....but never going past halfway when the engine is running.
The obvious answer is to use the car more but to solve the fault I'm not sure where to start - is the sender unit likely to be faulty, could there be a dodgy connection or earth somewhere or is the display / needle possibly sticking?
I can check these in my usual haphazard way but if anyone can point at the most likely culprit / easiest fix I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance for any suggestions
 
Did you check the gauge sensor? Im having a similar fault at the moment and was instructed to check/replace the sensor. Its located in the cylinder head at the very top near the timing belt.
 
I had some issues with the temp gauge on my 88 Sisley a few months back, it was one of the connections on the Earth hedgehog that's located just to the left of the engine if you're looking at it from the front of the car. I ended up taking all the wires off, replacing a couple of connectors, cleaning the rest up, and putting them all back on afterwards, and it was alright after that! Always an easy place to start :)
 
Back
Top