Temp gauge stuck and not working

[91Syclone2918]

Hi,
New to the Sy world been a Turbo Buick guy for years...Just bought 2918 and drove it across the country 1700 plus miles...Everything seems to work other than the temperature gauge...Is it likely a temp sensor or something going on with the dash??

 

[Dan B]

Does it read anything at all? I think they only go 1/4 of the way with a stock 195 t-stat.

 

[Slyclone]

My gauge barely moves. I noticed it's active when I engage the key on- it moved a tad bit up. Was always concerned also- thinking something was up.

I do have a scan master G that does verify correct temperature.

The correct sensor is the single wire located on driver side cylinder head single green wire. Be careful it's in a water jacket so removing it will cause some coolant to come out. You can always try and drain the radiator down into a clean container and bring the level of fluid down that way it isn't pissing out heavily. Depends on how far you want to go, and how well your setup

Sometimes they flip or bounce around but I haven't seen a temp gauge do it yet only the oil pressure is good for flipping

I'm thinking try to remove the connector gently from sensor and try to plug it back in. Then sit in truck turn key on and see if it move any like I did. Mine moved ever so slightly. In some cases it could just be a way out of calibration sensor. If replacing try to find a original brand ac Delco.

 

[91Syclone2918]

Does it read anything at all? I think they only go 1/4 of the way with a stock 195 t-stat.

It is stuck in one place and doesn't move

 

[91Syclone2918]

My gauge barely moves. I noticed it's active when I engage the key on- it moved a tad bit up. Was always concerned also- thinking something was up.

I do have a scan master G that does verify correct temperature.

The correct sensor is the single wire located on driver side cylinder head single green wire. Be careful it's in a water jacket so removing it will cause some coolant to come out. You can always try and drain the radiator down into a clean container and bring the level of fluid down that way it isn't pissing out heavily. Depends on how far you want to go, and how well your setup

Sometimes they flip or bounce around but I haven't seen a temp gauge do it yet only the oil pressure is good for flipping

I'm thinking try to remove the connector gently from sensor and try to plug it back in. Then sit in truck turn key on and see if it move any like I did. Mine moved ever so slightly. In some cases it could just be a way out of calibration sensor. If replacing try to find a original brand ac Delco.

I will see if it is barely moving, but for what I can tell it is at what looks to be about 130* and doesn't appear to ever move....Thanks for the information. It least now I know where it is located and that it is in a water jacket

 

[corsair231]

First, check your coolant level. Low coolant can cause the gauge to not read. The sensor has to be in contact with the coolant and low coolant will cause air pockets where the sensor can't function, but you should see periods of the gauge reading and not. Next, remove the green wire and ground it to the engine. Turn the key on and the gauge should go to max temp. If it doesn't work, there is either a gauge or a wiring problem. On my truck, the green wire had an internal break when I got it that had to be repaired. If the gauge does go full hot, then either your sensor is faulty or like mine, since I have a cooler t-stat, it barely moves until the truck gets in a condition such as running a/c in traffic where the temp runs a little hotter than normal. Like Slyclone, I just use my scan master to keep an eye on it. The scan master sees what the computer sees, and it is from a different sensor than the gauge uses.