Re: HOT Temp. Guage

[Phil@sievers.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <9411281541.AA16931@ciis.mitre.org> jason douglas writes:
> 
> The temperature guage on my '86 5000S is definitely goofy at the moment.
> After about a mile of driving, it showed the temperature as being somewhere
> near meltdown - two or three marks from the top of the scale.  The engine
> wasn't that hot - the heat was only tepid.  This morning, with a stone cold
> engine it showed about two marks left of the middle marker.
> 

Check the engine -> chassis bonding.  There are several points - a braid from 
the coil to the rear of the camshaft cover, and/or a braid from the alternator 
to the front bumper (fender) area.  If in doubt, just get the engine running 
and hook a temporary loop back to the braided battery terminal.  Then check 
that the instrument is properly earthed.  If neither of those helps, wind out 
the temperature sender unit (usually at the back of the head) and check it's 
not corroded.
 
Do the latter, of course, with the engine cold - otherwise you could cook a 
finger or two.

Phil Payne
Sievers Consulting UK
Vice Chair, UK Computer Measurement Group
+44 385 302803 Fido 2:2503/415  CIS 100012,1660