Temperature Guage Is Jumping Up And Down All The Time
Posted in Internal Engine Parts | Asked on Feb 7, 2012
Just bought a very used honda civic and sometimes I look at the temp guage and its all the way down on cool, usually its right in the middle, sometimes its rapidly twitching all over the place. The car runs okay and I was thinking this is just a problem with the guage and not the thermostat. How can I find out if the thermostat is okay? The car has never overheated on me, and the A/C works great…
There are 4 Answers for "Temperature Guage Is Jumping Up And Down All The Time"
The only way to know is to take it out or have a mechanic do it.
I would gamble that the wire to the sending unit is loose, or the sending unit is bad. To make sure of the thermostat, you can boil it in water on the stove, with a suitable thermometer in with it. Better then that, just replace it, they don’t cost much. Check your belts and hoses while you are at it. Take a look at the condition of your coolant. Test it. A coolant tester can be bought at the auto parts store for a couple of dollars. Also, check the operation of your cooling fan, probably electric, for proper operation.
100% definitely not the thermostat. All the thermostat does is allow coolant to flow or not flow depending on coolant temperature. there is no way you could see the temp gauge needle jumping around intermittently if the thermostat was bad. as stated before it’s either the coolant temp sending unit, the gauge itself, or the wiring in between. if the vehicle is properly maintained, has proper coolant level with clean green coolant, and is used only for short trips aound town, don’t sweat it. but if you ever plan on taking it on any long road trips, get it repaired so if a temp problem develops you can pull over before it completely over heats which could potentially cause some maor problems.
You should pay the money and hook it to the computer. You will save money and your car.