Temperature gauge stopped working. What?

[AdamFogle]

Alright, my temp gauge stopped working on me yesterday. This may be a simple question for some, but does that mean my thermostat has gone bad? If not, then what could it be. I figured it was the thermostat but before I get into I figured I would ask the stang gang. Thanks guys.

 

[DMAN302]

NO the Tstat is not involved in relaying temp to the gauge. The gauge gets its input from a sensor located on the front drivers side of the lower intake. Reasons for the gauge to stop reading could be...broken or damaged ground wire, damaged wire leading from gauge cluster to sensor, sensor could be done, gauge itself could be fried. For me personally I would forget the stock gauge and go with an aftermarket autometer..then you'll actually have a gauge in the car that does more than look pretty, stock gauges are a joke.

 

[AdamFogle]

I know the stock gauges are a joke, but I really don't want to add any gauges that aren't stock. I like the clean stock look. So, what all would I need to do to just replace the stock one? Thanks.

 

[jrichker]

Replace the temp sender. Follow DMAN302's directions on where to find it. The sender is easy to replace and not expensive.

If that doesn't fix it, you have bigger problems with the gauge or the wiring.

 

[mustang-a-holic]

Check Chiltons for troubleshooting the sender or gauge.

They have a simple test using a ground wire for the gauge and a ohm meter for the sender.

 

[Zero_chance]

Just a quick question, I wasnt too clear on this... are you getting any kind of reading on the gauge at all? Wasnt sure if you meant that it never indicates a temp change or if the reading just isnt as high as it used to be.

 

[Euphoric306]

after installing gauges my temp doesn't work either, im hopin it'll go away once i replace my cluster

 

[AdamFogle]

It looks as though sometimes it moves, but it never touches the lowest line. However, if it does look like it moves, it will go back to the starting position. However, I look at it when I am driving and it could be that it never moves. I have a 3-core radiator and 180 deg Tstat so I normally run pretty cool anyway, but there is def a problem here. So I will follow advice above and I hope that does the trick.