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    #1

    Am I missing something?

    My temperature gauge has been reading well past maxmimum for a while now, so today at work I picked up a coolant temp sender.

    I double checked to make sure it was the coolant temp sender by unplugging the original and watching the gauge. When plugged in the gauge maxes out, when unplugged the gauge slowly makes its way back down, then when plugged in again it quickly jumps back up to max.

    After replacing it, it does the same thing. This is the fourth coolant temp sender that's been in the car since my ownership, counting the original. The second was a defect, and the third has lasted me about two years until now. I don't think there's really anything I could've missed, and the only real explanation is that I got another God damn defective piece of CarQuest electronics. Unless I'm missing something, this time a Motorcraft sender will be going in.

    EDIT: Maybe this should've gone in the 5.0 section.
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    #2
    Originally posted by CheeseSteakJim View Post
    My temperature gauge has been reading well past maxmimum for a while now, so today at work I picked up a coolant temp sender.

    I double checked to make sure it was the coolant temp sender by unplugging the original and watching the gauge. When plugged in the gauge maxes out, when unplugged the gauge slowly makes its way back down, then when plugged in again it quickly jumps back up to max.

    After replacing it, it does the same thing. This is the fourth coolant temp sender that's been in the car since my ownership, counting the original. The second was a defect, and the third has lasted me about two years until now. I don't think there's really anything I could've missed, and the only real explanation is that I got another God damn defective piece of CarQuest electronics. Unless I'm missing something, this time a Motorcraft sender will be going in.

    EDIT: Maybe this should've gone in the 5.0 section.
    Nah this is Heating sorta

    You sure there's not some kind of reversed wiring?

    Like you crossed two wires and when it's plugged in it'll be up at the max. But I'm wondering if when you run the car, the gauge will move to the left. Kinda like if you were to switch the wires on the fuel gauge?

    Just a thought.

    Motorcraft FTW!

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      #3
      On the temp sender it grounds out through its body and the plug is only one wire, so if I messed that up then I shouldn't be let out of the house. These things function by measuring resistance.

      Oh, and just to avoid confusion with other Panther owners - when I say the needle goes up I mean it goes all the way past H. On the Town Cars the temperature gauge is vertical. I forgot that Vics and Grand Marqs were horizontal.

      EDIT: and I appreciate the input but even if I had crossed two wires then my gauge would be maxed when the thing was unplugged and would bottom out when it was plugged in.
      Last edited by CheeseSteakJim; 03-31-2008, 07:44 PM.

      Comment

        #4
        Well, firstly, are you sure its not actually overheating? Have you put a real temperature gauge on the car, or used an IR gun or something to make sure you're really not running in severe overheat realm? If you don't have a real gauge or an IR gun, you can use the computer temperature sensor and a voltmeter to get the temperature. Chart to translate the voltage to temp is at fordfuelinjection.com.

        There are 2 different gauge senders. The Towncar one is for an actual gauge, the Vic ones are for an idiot light. The idiot light ones are just on/off, though it shouldn't do anything till you're in the 'i've nuked my engine' realm of temperature. If for some reason the computer is listing the wrong part, that may explain the problem.
        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

        Originally posted by phayzer5
        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

        Comment

          #5
          As soon as I start the car in the morning, the needle jumps all the way up. Used to be after the coolant warmed up the needle would drop down and begin reading accurately, but no more.

          I will check if it might be the wrong part, but the listing in the computer gave two different P/Ns: one for an analog gauge and one for the digidash, which makes me assume that it's correct. I've also had this problem once before with a defective CarQuest coolant temp sender. Like I said, this is the third CarQuest coolant temp sender that's been in the car.

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