Hey all,

This is my first time posting here so...howdy!

As the topic suggests i'm having a problem with my temp gauge. A few weeks ago I noticed its was starting to show that my temp was cooler than it should have been(compared from a month ago). Then a week ago it started to get really lazy, the needle was just slowly wavering around the low end of the scale. Then it died....

I was looking at some of the other posts and they all had jumpy gauges, not sure if its the same problem.

Not really too worried about it right now as the temp in florida finally started to go down a bit and the bronco itself normally doesnt run too hot, but would like to get it fixed before summer.


BTW, I have an '89 BII 2.9L 2WD Other than a few minor glitches it runs great and gets better mileage than all the other cars i have, 'cept for the corolla but i can crush that clown car in no time

Things I've replaced since i got it (my running tally):
fuel injector
fuel pump
water pump
alternator
spark plugs and leads
starter
exhaust
shocks
front tires(didnt see the train tracks...)
headlights (ultra-brite halogens are excellent btw)

 

Welcome to FTE!!!

You should determine if it's the gauge or sender. If you just pull the wire off the sender (one wire sender) the gauge will read cold, ground the wire and it will read hot. If the gauge reacts correctly it's the sender, otherwise the wiring or gauge.

 

I was having the same problem. I put a aftermarket sunpro guage in, screwed it in under the dash, it fixed the problem and was a lot easier to put in than messing with the in dash guage. Another advantage, you know what temp. your running at.

 

thanks for the replys.
finally got around to taking a look at it...

Okay, tried grounding the sender. I'm assuming its one of the two on the engine by the water pump, wasnt sure which one it was. There were two one the right side of the engine (looking into the engine), one i could reach from the top and the other I could only get to from the bottom. -apologies for the sketchy discription-

Anyway, I grounded both of them and got no response from the gauge (hopefully i didnt mess something up). I dont think it would be the wiring since that would have caused it to just abruptly stop working?

One more thing, I noticed the needle slowly moves to the hot end of the gauge when I turn the ignition off. When ignition is on it stays all the way on the cold end of the gauge.

Oh btw, trvwilkins, when you fixed your problem did you just replace the gauge?

 

Yes and no, the old guage is still their, it just doesn't work. I screwed in an aftermarket guage below the dash where I could see it, ran the line through a grommet in the firewall and plugged it into where the stock wires were. Its basically a thermometer, and I can now see what temp my water is at.

 

Did you have the ingintion turned on?

If you grounded the wires from the two wire sensor you may have damaged the ECU.

 

They were both one wire sensors, I think one was the oil pressure sender.
Yes the ignition was on but no joy.

Not sure i want to install an aftermarket gauge, I'd much rather fix the one thats there. Its my form of OCD, I cant see broken things and not try to fix 'em.

 

If the wire is good the easiest thing would be to get a used cluster from a junkyard.

 

I'll see what I can dig up. Will repost when I try it out.
Thanks for all the help.

 

i'm not sure you are testing the right sendor. the guage sendor is a 1 wire on the right side of the water pump. the other on the pax side is for the ecu.

 

yep,there are two on the right side (one just next to the pump and one below). tested them both. I'll retest tomorrow just to be sure though. planning on stopping by junkyard tomorrow if it dont work.
Whats the word on getting a sending unit (fuel) from a junked car btw? assuming i find a bronco2 when i get there.
darn its almost

 

ok, final word on the temp sender...Its on the t-stat housing on the '89.
Now about the gauge. Went to the junkyard yesterday and picked up two of 'em just in case one didnt work.
Unfortunately, NIETHER of them worked . Realized while i was pulling gauges the oil pressure gauge and the h20 gauge are the same. Switched my working oil pressure with the water temp, grounded, and lo and behold it spiked. So it IS the gauge afterall. Now all I have to do is find another working gauge.

P.S. On a side note, I also picked up some door lock accuators (s.p.) that work *click**click*
total for 2guages+2door thingies=$25
hearing *click**click* for the first time=priceless

 

Glad to hear you pinned down the problem, let us know how things work out.