Heat gauge

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

hungry 103 - 04 Dec 2007 08:08 GMT

I have a 95 Monte Carlo with a 3.1 engne.It blew a head gasket then had
a rod knocking.I had the engine rebuilt.Before,the heat gauge worked
perfect staying at just under the half mark.After I got my car back,the
gauge reads 3/4 before the fan comes on.I took it back to the mechanic
and he checked everything out.The engine is NOT getting hot and all the
grounds in the wiring are good.He replaced the sending unit AND the temp
senser...which doesn't have anything to do with the gauge,and it still
reads wrong.I replaced the whole gauge cluster with a known good one and
it still reads hot.I unplugged the sending unit and grounded the wire
and the gauge pegged hot,so I know the gauge is good.What made the
original sending unit go bad? And could the new one be bad too?

Reply to this Message

Refinish King - 04 Dec 2007 23:58 GMT

When they rebuilt the engine I'm sure that:

1- They bored it out, that will Make the engine run a little bit hotter, in
most cases negligible.

2- The factory gauge is not a good indicator of engine temperature.

3- Just because your original gauge sensor, I'm not sure if that works off a
sender, or the CTS, does not mean a new sender will read exactly the same.

Go to a Dollar store, and get a cheap roasting thermometer, and check the
actual temperature.

I hope this helps.

RK

>I have a 95 Monte Carlo with a 3.1 engne.It blew a head gasket then had
> a rod knocking.I had the engine rebuilt.Before,the heat gauge worked
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> and the gauge pegged hot,so I know the gauge is good.What made the
> original sending unit go bad? And could the new one be bad too?

Reply to this Message

hungry 103 - 05 Dec 2007 14:14 GMT

I thought the same thing,that it was bored and that was making the
engine run warmer.The mechanic used a gun that measures heat and
everything measured 198,it has a195 thermostat.The fan came on around
210

Reply to this Message

Refinish King - 06 Dec 2007 19:04 GMT

That's what you want.

RK

>I thought the same thing,that it was bored and that was making the
> engine run warmer.The mechanic used a gun that measures heat and
> everything measured 198,it has a195 thermostat.The fan came on around
> 210

Reply to this Message

hungry 103 - 07 Dec 2007 06:33 GMT

I want the gauge to read right like it did before the rebuild.

Reply to this Message

Cy Welch - 12 Dec 2007 03:19 GMT

> I want the gauge to read right like it did before the rebuild.

If the engine is running 198 with a 195 thermostat then it's the gauge
reading wrong not the engine running hot. Of course factory gauges are
typically very inaccurate, and it's possible that the gauge was reading
low before and is reading correctly now. It's unlikely that the sending
unit and a new one are both bad, so it's more likely that the gauge is
reading right now and was reading wrong before.

Signature

Cy Welch
89 Camaro RS 5.0 TBI
03 Malibu

Reply to this Message