Temp guage not sure its working right

[turbomk3]

Just got done with rebuilding the top end and everything is working great...except for the temp guage, at least i think. I drove the car around all day yesterday and the temp guage never moved from the Cold position. Well later that night i let the car sit and forgot that i turned off my electric fans and after sitting for a while i went back outside and realized that the fans wernt on nad i also noticed that the guage has moved up to the H position. The gauge worked when it was over heating but not when im driveing it around town with the fans on. Is my guage working correctly or is it a faluty sensor? i installed a new, uncloged koyo radiator, electric fans, fpr, ported polished head, 550's...is my car really this cold or what????

thanks nate

 

[jetjock]

If it's pegged at max you have either defective sensor or a short to ground.
Unplug the sensor and see what the gauge does. If it goes down you have a bad sensor. A quick way to test the wiring and gauge is to short the connector to ground for a moment. This should drive the gauge to max. Don't leave it grounded for long, just enough to see what the gauge does. If it checks out either replace the sensor or ohm it out when the engine is hot. Should be around 200-300 ohms as I recall but check the manual to be sure.

 

[turbomk3]

well its not ever overheating just that one time it didnt have any fans...how would i tell then? because its always on Cold...

 

[mrnickleye]

Do as said above to make sure wiring and gauge are working. What temp thermostat are you running?