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Temp guage not working /// pegged around 300

S

StealthWyvern

CEG'er
Joined
Sep 25, 2002
Messages
94
I need to know on what to do with my current car (94 Grand Am) temp guage problem. So here is the story.

I lent my grand am to my cousin for a month. Well today has been the first tiem i have drove it for about a month or two since it beign lent out. (Someone stole the battery out of it) Well I noticed that the temp guage is pegged around where 300 would be on the guage and the guage only goes upto 280. Now it stays thier no matter what I do (Car on/off warmed up, parked over night). Also the car was bone dry in coolant. I have sence replaced the coolant with water for now. I'm still trying to make sure that thier are no air pockets in it. Anything else I need to watch out for. I am still in the process of gettign all the air pockets out of the car.
 
That sounds like what happens on V6 Duratecs like mine, the waterpump fails, causing overheating and coolant loss (overflow) which causes the temp gauge to peg and the temperature gauge sending unit to short out. If the temp is pegged with the car off, the gauge got stuck. Try disconnecting the sending unit and see if the gauge drops (it should after a while). It could be the head gasket too. If the coolant bubbles as soon as you run the engine (cold start) the gasket probably failed, and a new one should fix it. Did your cousin tell you about it?
 
Noep my cusin skipped town, but the next time i see him.. hes gonna feel some hurtin. lol I'm still trying to get all the air pockets out of the engine without runnign it for to long.

It had a small water leak when I lent it to him where you had to add water every 3 or 4 days. It only leaked when the system was under presure to give you an idea how small the leak was.

I just hope like hell its not the water pump or the head gasket becuase Ihave soemone that wants to buy it! I'm sure the thermostat works because when its runnign and i have the over flow jug cap off I can feel the warm water coming into it as if the thermostat just opened up. The system also builds presure so im going to say the water pump is good. The car runs and drives fine. No new noises or exhuast fumes. No smoke or anything so thats a plus.
 
See if the heater works, hot air. If it does, waterpump probably is OK. Maybe coolant just leaked out if the car got a lot of driving. I have found air pockets go away with warming it up fully, cool, add. Good luck with it. Try replacing the gauge sender.
 
Well I would test the heater but it is bypassed... I dont care to rip out the dash to replace the heater core. lol Plus im in florida so its not like I need a heater... unless yoru a panzy.

I did get it hooked up on a scan tool at a friends shop only to find out that the sensor for the temp guage was weak! I found out that the wire that was in the clip wasn't in thier hardly at all. It fell out when I went to pull it out. I reterminated that and had no luck, but the scan tool no longer reads it as weak. lol Next ill replace teh sensor... BTW this car has two sensors oen for the temp and one for the temp guage. Oh yeah the temp sensor was workign fine. I'll keep everyone updated just encase anyone else has this problem.
 
well I just replaced the sending unit and it still doesnt work... so it looks like a broken guage for me 8(
 
Mine just "felt" like unsticking after I fixed the sending unit..I think it has for a few other Ceg'ers. Maybe yours will too! Tap the gauge cluster or drive on a rough road, might help.
 
ive tried tappign teh guage cluster no luck with me but ill try some speed bumps beings that thier arn't any rough roads here.
 
You might be able to replace the gauge or just free it up, if it's not too much of a bear to get at.
 
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