Temperature Gauge

[gectek]

maybe a lost ground or open wire from sender to gauge, does it self check when i turn the key on

[ryansGrandam]

I have the same problem the bad thing is it only does it when the temp is about 20 or lower. When it does it i can tell the fans kick on cause lights dim 4 a sec. so as soon as u guys find out it would be nice cause im tired of it to.

[bulet225]

Hey guy's,
Has anyone found the problem yet? I went and bought a new temp sensor from the Pontiac dealer ( Hoping the one from autozone was causing the temp gauge not to work) But it is still doing the same thing. The high speed cooling fans kick on as soon as the car is started.

[gectek]

Originally Posted by gectek

maybe a lost ground or open wire from sender to gauge, does it self check when i turn the key on

^^^check this...does it do that

[bulet225]

Yes,
The temp gauge does do a full sweep win the ignition is turned on. I am going to try and trace the sending unit wire back as far as i can and check with an ohm meter to see if any are broke.
It's my last resort before I take it to a real mechanic. LOL

[Sprucegagt]

Originally Posted by bulet225

Hey guy's,
Has anyone found the problem yet? I went and bought a new temp sensor from the Pontiac dealer ( Hoping the one from autozone was causing the temp gauge not to work) But it is still doing the same thing. The high speed cooling fans kick on as soon as the car is started.

I ran into this same problem but found the fix for it. The coolant sensor was bad in my car but after changing the sensor my gauge still would not work. Turns out I had some DTC's set that were not turning on the SES light. The second I cleared these codes my temp gauge operated perfectly and the high speed fans turned off. If anyone runs into the problem of the temperature gauge going dead I would get the car read for trouble codes even if the SES light is not on.

[iceman]

Yep, I cleared the codes I had as well (1 O2 sensor one, 1 coolant temp one, one for needing a case learn, I forgot to write them all down) and the second I did that, the gauge started to work. However about 20 minutes later it broke again, so I'll have to change the sensor and then try again.

Napa has em for about 30 bucks last time I checked

[JC_76]

Ok my car is doing the same thing.The fans turn on as soon as I turn the car on and the temp.needle is all the way down to 100. What is the name of the sensor that fixes this problem? What does the sensor look like and where is it located? Anyone have any pics of the location of this sensor?

[gectek]

coolant temp sensor and it is pointing to the front of the car on the lower intake manifold right on the thermostat housing (the intake side)

[JC_76]

Is that the sensor that is located right under the throttle body?

[gectek]

pretty much yah

[Metallman56]

has anyone experianced this problem after both replacing the sensor and clearing the trouble code? just wondering, cause guess what? yep, its out again. and it only happens when its cold out. i wouldnt mind it in the summer, but when its freakin freezing in the mornin, i dont know when i can turn the heat on, and get heat.

[JC_76]

I replaced the sensor yesterday and cleared the SES light code by disconnecting the battery. The gauge was working fine and the fans turned off but on my way home from work it acted up again. What the hell could be the problem? Or maybe I changed out the wrong sensor. It was a $12 sensor from Autozone and goes right below the throttle body. Anyone know the part # for the right sensor? I just want to make sure that I changed the right one. I will post pictures soon showing the sensor that I replaced and where it is positioned.

[Sprucegagt]

I don't think disconnecting the battery erases the codes stored in the PCM history. That's were the code is that's turning off the temp gauge. You won't have a SES light if it is only in the PCM history. You will need a handheld scanner to erase the code. Autozone will do this for free if one is around you.

[JC_76]

Thanks for that advice Spruce I will try that next since my Autozone has the machine. Here is a picture of the sensor and location. Let me know if that is the right sensor that I changed out. It was a Wells sensor part #SU109.

[iceman]

Yep, that is the correct one.

[JC_76]

Ok I just got back from Autozone and they would not clear the code. They told me just to disconnect the battery but I dont think thats gonna work since I already did that yesterday. I guess my only thing to do is take it to a shop and pay to get the codes cleared and see if that works.

[Metallman56]

they wont clear that code? thats you might want to take it to anther autozone and just play dumb. say you've got a check engine light on, and when they tell you the problem tell them to clear the code. then leave. i've done that before.

[Sprucegagt]

Originally Posted by JC_76

Ok I just got back from Autozone and they would not clear the code. They told me just to disconnect the battery but I dont think thats gonna work since I already did that yesterday. I guess my only thing to do is take it to a shop and pay to get the codes cleared and see if that works.

Tell the parts monkey at Autozone that you need your car read for codes. Then once he reads it, tell him to delete the code. Don't ask them at the counter to delete it.

[JC_76]

Ok I got a friend of mine from work who is a mechanic to clear the code for me free of charge. The needle worked and the fans turned off but that only worked for about 20 minutes. On the way home the temp. would not read any higher than 150 and I was on the highway doing about 65. Then the needle just dropped and the fans kicked in again. I was doing a little more research and thinking it might be the thermostat. What do you guys think?