Temp Gage on the fritz?

Question

I have a 2001 Honda Civic. I have not had a single problem with this car up until now. the Temperature gage goes from Cool to RED in a matter of seconds. However the car is not/does not overheat. I was told that if I change my thermostate that that should alleviate the problem. Does this sound like it would be a solution? Also how difficult is it to change a thermostate myself? Thanks in advance

Answer 1

I have to assume that the radiator and reservoir are full of coolant. If not, the first step would be to fill the radiator reservoir, run the car and find out where its leaking. If you have coolant in the radiator and the reservoir, then I have a question:

Does the temperature spike to 'red' when you come to a stop? If it is okay when you are driving down the road and only climbs up when you come to a stop you have a problem with the cooling fan not working.

You can check this visually opening the hood, starting the engine, and turning the air conditioning on. with the air conditioning on, the electric radiator fan (the unit with a white circle of fan blades between the back of the radiator and the engine) should come on and run. The fan runs automatically with the air conditioning, so if the fan doesn't run, then the problem is with the fan motor.

if the fan does run with the air conditioner on but not at stops with the air conditoner off, the problem is with the temperature sending unit for the electric fan. This is not the temperature sensor for the engine or the temperature gauge; its sole purpose is to turn the fan on when the engine reaches a pre-set speed.

it would be unusual for the problem to be with the fan motor or the thermostat. More likely is a coolant leak from the radiator or a bad temperature switch for the fan.

if the fan runs with the air conditoner on and the temp gauge does not spike then the quick answer is drive with the a/c on until you can get it fixed. Your heater can be used to keep you warm when running the a/c by turning the temp gauge to the desired temperature.

hope that helps you out.

Answer 2

the wires are not connected or grounded.and or the senor is bad. the Gauge is going strait to ground which will peg the needle. the senor is next to the upper radiator hose on the engine