I was given a van and when driving it home the heat gauge suddenly pegged on hot after just a mile. I pulled over, and the radiator was just warm, the motor didn't act hot, as pinging or anything. The van hadn't been running for 10 minutes in 40 degree weather. I'm wondering if the sender is bad, as the van has been turned off for 3 hours and it still pegs on hot when the ignition is turned on. It has water, no leaks, 127M miles. Any help? Please email me directly if you have a clue on this. cameragadgets@netscape.net

 

yes the sender is bad replace it is by the thermostat or the thermostat is bad did you touch the engine to see if it was hot you could also benifit from a mechanical oil pressure and water temp gauges

 

I touched the motor, it was warm/hot. Not anywhere near burning my hand. I went out this morning after 14 hours and the temp gauge finally returned to the cold mark. I didn't run it again. I think I'll replace the sender and the thermostat and see what happens.