Kris,
It appears that the trouble may not be with your sending unit, but
rather the gauge itself. Try the same test with a different gauge and
see if you get the same results.
Of course, under normal operating conditions, the temperature gauge
shouldn't travel above around 3/4 of the scale. So if your gauge is
functioning properly, you might have cooling system problems.
Such problems can be:
-Plugged water jackets in the engine,
-Plugged radiator core
-Poorly functioning water pump
-And the obvious (all the above)
Some things that can help an overheating engine are:
-Add an oil cooler
-Have the radiator checked
-Check the coolant level and antifreeze content
-Have the engine block flushed to remove blockages.
I hope this helps, but I'd suspect the gauge first.
Regards,
Joe Curry
SpitfireKP@aol.com wrote:
>
> When driving my Spit for the first time this summer, I kept pulling over to
> the side of the road whenever the temperature gauge reached its max, which was
> roughly every 5 minutes. I couldn't figure out the problem, b/c it was full of
> coolant and oil, and everything seemed to be in order. I decided to test the
> sending unit, so I boiled some water and poured it into a thermos and stuck a
> thermometer and the sending unit in it. The thermometer read 170 degrees, i
> believe, and the sending unit was at its max again. I assumed the sending unit
> was bad. However, I bought a new one and the problem is still there. In the
> winter, this rarely occurs, but it still reads b/w 3/4 and max all the time. I
> imagine in the summer it will be hotter. Is this normal? I would like to know,
> b/c it is extremely frustrating, and I dont want to inadvertantly run my
> engine hot for too long.
>
> KRis Powell
--
"If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort."
-- Dave Weinbaum in National Enquirer
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