The engine temperature gauge on your car’s dashboard is your warning signal for the engine operating temperature. If this gauge is working erratically, stuck at cold or hot, it is of little use to you. Having a working temperature gauge is as important as maintaining a healthy engine. You can do this repair at home using a simple test light, if necessary. It can save your engine-and your wallet-from expensive repairs. Locate the temperature gauge sending unit First find the temperature sending unit around the top section of the engine. The unit is similar to a thick nut and has a thin wire connected on top. You can check the location of the sending unit in the service manual for your particular vehicle make and model. If necessary, consult one in the reference section of your local public library. Testing the gauge ground connection Disconnect the wire from the temperature sending unit by hand. Then, turn the ignition key to the On position, but don’t start the engine. The gauge should read cold at this point. Connect a jumper wire to the wire you disconnected from the sending unit. Now, connect the jumper wire to ground. For this, you can clip the wire to any bolt on the engine or metal bracket. This should cause the gauge to read hot. Now, let’s look at the different scenarios. If the gauge was stuck at cold during engine operation, this should tell you there’s something wrong with the sending unit. Also, if the gauge was stuck at hot, and disconnecting the wire from the sending unit caused it to go to cold, the sending unit is bad or you have a grounded connection at the sending unit. However, if the gauge is still stuck at hot, there might be a short on the wire between the sending unit and the gauge. If the gauge was stuck at cold and grounding the wire didn’t make a difference, first make sure the wire that connects to the sending unit is properly connected to the back of the gauge before proceeding to the next section. Checking the temperature gauge for voltage If the ground wire seems to be well connected, and you tried grounding the wire into a different point and still your gauge refused to work, it’s time to check for voltage. For this part of the test, you’ll be using a test light. You can buy an inexpensive test light at most auto parts stores. Connect the test light to the metal frame or a bracket under the dashboard. Turn the ignition key to the On position but don’t start the engine. Touch the power connector-or positive connector-at the back of the temperature gauge with the test light. If the test light glows, you have voltage. In this case, your gauge has probably failed. If the test light didn’t glow, though, check the fuse for the gauge circuit. If the fuse is in good condition, check the part of the circuit between the gauge, the fuse box and the ignition switch. You could have a disconnected wire. It is possible, though, that the part of the ignition switch that connects to the gauge has failed. Most temperature gauge problems can be traced to a bad ground connection. Vibration during engine operation may break the wire, and corrosion or grease between the connectors may block electric current. However, it’s not uncommon for the sending unit or gauge to fail. Either way, it’s important that your gauge is in working order so that you know in which condition your engine is operating. It can be the difference between a healthy and a blown up engine. Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society
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