Ford Aerostar :: 1994 - Temp Gauge Reading Low?
Jan 7, 2015
It is a garage queen 1994 4.0 AWD with 42,000 miles in nearly perfect shape. Except for the dent in the rear on the passenger side.
I have posted a picture of the dash when going down the road. As you see the engine light is on. It comes on intermittently, pulled the codes, indicated MAF, 02 sensor, running lean/rich. Runs like a champ, no hesitation, still gets up and goes, gets the appropriate gas mileage. I replaced the 02 sensor with the original Ford Part. Didn't cause the engine light to stop going on after about 20 to 60 minutes driving, sometimes it doesn't come on at all.
Could this thermostat be running too cool and causing the engine to throw those codes? Would gladly take it to a mechanic, but seems like it might be a fishing trip with my dollars for them. Next I was going to replace the MAS myself, easily done with the original remanufactured part at a cost of 150.00, 70 for the core, but don't want to chase my tail with these engine lights on when it runs nearly perfect.
Have sprayed the MAF. Checked for air leaks anywhere. Done all the things I could do by just lifting the hood.
So the picture shows the Temp gauge barely touching the N flying down the road at 70 on a level surface, outside temp about 60. Reading the posts says they all run in the cool section of the temp gauge.
So the question is, do they run this cool? Heater works fine and the gauge goes up past the N resting before the O when going up hills on the way to Tahoe. Is this a thermostat problem on a 20 year vehicle with low mileage, or am I going to have to bite the bullet and let the mechanic go wandering through the vehicle?
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The water temperature in my 97 3 liter Aerostar seems to be higher than I would expect when climbing a mountain road with the aircon on full. It was only about 75 degrees F and the elevation went from 300 feet up to 2,400 and the gauge was at 3/4 to the red zone.
I don't use aircon much here in the south Bay Area but as I recall the gauge on both my 96 and 97 Aeros was straight up during such climbs. The 96 is out of coolent so I can't compare it now.
The reason I'm rather concerned is we are about to leave on a 2,500 mile road trip with 4 people and lots of gear through Nevada and Utah and we'll climb a lot of passes in 90 degree heat or higher.
The mileage is about 135k and the water pump was replaced about 2 years ago. The radiator was replaced at about 100k.
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I have a 77 F100 2wd 302/c4. I recently replaced the rear plate to my gauge cluster after it crumbled to pieces. I swapped all the gauges to the new plate minus the fuel gauge since it decided it couldn't live if livin was without the old plate. I have a gauge cluster out of my 75 and decided to swap in my fuel gauge from that one. I put the cluster in the truck and fire it up for 10 mins or so and everything is working great except the temp gauge isn't moving. I figure it romeo and Juliet with the fuel gauge so I just swap all gauges from the 75 into the 77 cluster except the speedo. Same result.
So I figure its the sending unit now and maybe both gauges were fine to begin with. I put in a new sending unit and now the gauges works but the needle sits on the P in the word TEMP on the gauge which makes me uncomfortable. That's about 1/4 inch or so from being past the end of the gauge. I don't believe the truck is running that hot. The gauge was more or less straight vertical before the swap sitting right at the end of the E on TEMP. Did I get a bad sending unit? Is it a bad ground on the gauge? Was I supposed to take off the teflon tape that came on the threads of the sending unit? I'm gonna try removing that first and see if it lowers the needle.
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I have a 2001 Excursion Limited V10. 146000 miles 2 wheel drive. I have had it about a year and this is my first winter to really have experience with her.
When the outside temperature is very cold and the engine is cold from sitting all night, at start up, the oil pressure gauge reads nothing and the oil pressure/temp idiot light is on. Only does this during the first very cold start up or after sitting and engine getting very cold again.
I can drive just a short distance (2 blocks) and both gauge and light go to normal and stay there for the rest of my drive. I am using a quality 5/20 oil and filter and the level is good. Warmer days it has never happened. Truck runs fine, smooth idle, no "limp mode". She has not had any recent work done. All the other dash gauges read fine.
There is something about really cold temperatures that have to be causing the issue , I think. ??
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1994 f150 with 4.9L I6; 180k mi.
Parked vehicle last night after using it uneventfully for work the day before. Upon leaving the house at 11:30 AM, I noticed that I'd picked up a new mechanical noise. Nothing major; actually wasn't sure I heard anything at all.
As I drove to the store, I noticed it was idling slightly unsteady...much less so than a missing cylinder. I resolved to check the high-tension connectors when I got home for security. I glanced down at the gauges to check and see if my oil pressure was good; I then noticed coolant temp reading "high normal."
When I got out, I noticed a small pool of coolant forming. I looked at where the puddle was forming...the radiator hose had come off! (Actually separate from the radiator connector, as one might do if draining fluid without using the petcock.) I popped the hood: no unusual smells. Nothing seemed abnormally hot. Placing a finger against the head was uncomfortable, but not painful. Spit expectorated upon the head did not sizzle.
I then called my wife, explaining the situation, and walked back home 2 miles. We then took the spare car, bought antifreeze, and added it about an hour post-shutdown. Where the car was parked seemed wetter than the light drizzle allowed; daubing a finger in it and tasting gave a slight sweet taste.
I tend to check my fluid every so often (not every day, though) and coolant was verified as "full" as recently as 100 miles ago. (I don't make a habit of crawling underneath, though, so I couldn't tell you if hose had been slowly backing off or not.)
As to cause: is it plausible that this could happen without foul play? There have been a few vandalism incidents in the neighborhood; it's also possible that I [peeved] off a neighbor recently. I'm not about to go any further than fixing, though, unless there's really no other plausible explanation.
As to the mechanical questions: How much damage was done? Did I "catch it" in time? What is suggested as far as repairs/maintenance? (I was planning on doing a compression test, and keeping a close eye on fluid levels over the next 1,000 miles or so.) Engine sounds completely normal.
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I have a 2003 Excursion 6.0. I didn't post this in the 6.0 section because it may not be just a 6.0 issue. (See what I get) On cold starts, anything under 150 degree water temp reading on the SGII. I get a CHECK GAGE light on accompanied by the check engine light. No codes read on the SGII pending or stored. Just some of the time I get a water in fuel light too. This tends to go out fairly soon after driving. (Even after I just drain the fuel pump it still happens.) other issues that accompany the lights are as follows.
The trans temp does not give a reading to the dash. The oil temp does not give a reading the dash. Both show proper temp on the SGII. When in reverse the back up alarm beeps as if something is behind me. And the auto door locks will not activate after 10 mph. The tach also will not show a reading in the dash. SGII shows the numbers. Now the kicker, this ALL gets resolved the instant the water temp hits 150 degrees. The only lingering issue is the that the tach will surge or drop every now and then. The tow/haul light does not come on when this is going on. I've checked the battery terminals all are clean. Both batteries are brand new.
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I have a 2005 Toyota Matrix with 250k on it. It has run like a champ so far, with the only problem being an ECM recall last year. I have noticed a few problems recently; the heat blows cold air for quite awhile, and the temperature gauge, while not reading hot, sort of fluctuates between normal and a little warm. When the ECM was being replaced, the dealer said the serpentine belt was overdue for replacement, and I know he's probably right about that. He also said the water pump needed replacing, although I have never seen any signs of leaking. This car has been a champ, and I'd like to try and get another 100k out of it if possible. I'm pretty handy around a car, I've replaced an alternator and radiator before, and I'm working on a limited budget, so if any of this is doable by me, I'm up for it.
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I was recently given my first Volvo. Its an 88 240dl. While driving my temp gauge climbs up to the red and sometimes hovers inside of it. It normally climbs up at stop signs and comes down on straight always then climbs right back up close to red. When the gauge was in the red i stopped the car and popped the hood open to see that the engine was not actually overly hot.
first i replaced coolant. nothing
then i replaced the thermostat. nothing
flushed radiator. nothing
Today i finally had enough and decided to switch out the water pump with a new one hoping that it would solve the problem seeing as it still had the factory one on. It did nothing. the gauge continues to climb up. I did replace one of the two senders in hope that it would fix the gauge reading but nothing.
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Every now and then when I slow down the temp gauge drops about 1 notch below its normal 200 reading. It's nerver done this before. Car runs great and heat is strong. Is this a sign of a failing thermostat? If so, where is the thermostat located, is it hard to replace, and should I get OEM or is OTC ok? Car has 89K on it.
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I have a 98 trans sport and the temp gauge is reading low. Only on the first line when driving then when i pulled into the garage it went up one line and heat got warmer. Felt both upper and lower hoses and i can press them both in Fluids are full no leaks anywhere. oil is good tranny fluid is good. I just got it on a trade it runs and drives great no problems at all.
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I have a 2006 Jeep Liberty 3.7L that has a temperature gauge on the dash that reads an overheat when driving. The oil looks normal, there is no white smoke, no bubbling from reservoir. I have replaced the following:
Radiator
Thermostat
Water Pump
Coolant Temperature Sensor
Coolant Reservoir Tank
I am not leaking any coolant and the reservoir level has been fine. I have let the vehicle idle for 20+minutes, with no overheat. When I drive it around, the temperature gauge will read an overheat. When I stop the car and pop the hood, the engine is not overheated and both rubber hoses to/from radiator are flowing the coolant. The only thing that will bring the gauge down is turning on the heater full blast. Could this be the gauge itself being bad? Could it be a short in a wire somewhere? I had thought maybe a head gasket, but have no symptoms of a head gasket.
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My 94 Ranger 3.0L 5speed 2wd temp gauge is staying on the cold side but the heater is working good and I used a laser pointing thermometer at the thermostat housing and got 180* after running for a while and I also noticed that the fuel economy had gone down along with the power. I was getting 340 miles to a tank but now I'm getting 280 per tank.
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My radiator gave way on the highway, and by the time I noticed it the temp had maxed out the gauge and all the coolent was gone. So, I only have 90k on my '94 Camry and I'm debating whether to tackle repairs and perhaps a rebuild if necessary. What's the likelihood that there's damage to the rings, bore, crank, valves, etc due to the overheat? How much repair am I potentially looking at and what can I check without a tear-down? I'd like to get it running again since I just invested in new struts, brake calipers and MS and tires (not to mention that it has been pretty-much worry-free until now), but I want to know whether it's even worth my while.
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1994 Mercury Villager, driving about 10 miles to work this morning I noticed the temp gauge sitting just under the H at about the 8.5ish mile mark. All driving is on city streets from 25-35mph. When I noticed the temp I turned on the heater hoping to assist with bringing the temperature down. The air coming out was mostly cold occasionally pushing out slightly warm for a few seconds.
I got to work and checked the hoses for a leak, squeezing both the upper and lower hoses they felt empty. I added about 1-2 cups of water to the radiator and it would take no more. Started the car up and the supply hose firmed up while the return hose still felt empty. Left it like that until the end of my shift.
Started the car up and checked for any leaks, all fluids appeared to me to be topped off and I could see no leaks. Started to make the trip home and at about the 7 mile mark the temp gauge drifted out of normal. Turned on the heater and the air came out cold. About a mile later I pulled over and shut the engine off for 15-20 minutes. Started it back up and it was sitting in the normal range again, but only for about a half mile and then it started going back up. I finally got it home with the needle between normal and H, maybe closer to H than that. Opened the hood and checked for any leaks. Noticed some anti freeze had come up through the cap on the reservoir. Checked and it was cracked open around the top. The two hoses on the other hand had pressure and were fairly firm/squishy.
Just checked the oil and around the cap on the valve cover and and the oil just looks a little old. (was told by a friend to look for chocolate milk color).
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02 6.8 4x4 excursion. When I start the truck cold, the trans temp gauge immediately moves to "running" temp. Not really sure how this happens, I'd figure that if the xducer was trash it would ride all the way high or all the way low. What's happening here? I'd sure like a functional gauge...
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My outside temperature reading on my '05 (6.0 PSD EB) Ex has recently gone black..no reading. I haven't noticed any other issues, just no outside temp readings... Do these sensors go bad or ? Is it a big deal to change them out?
I was told it should be located just to the side of left hand (drivers side) headlight behind the grill, a small black cube (approx. 1 inch square) with three wires coming out of it. However, I'm not finding it there.
Where is the temp sensor located? Is there a fuse covering this sensor?
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The oil and water readings on my SG have been gradually climbing for the last few year to where they are about 15* above the ambient temperature after sitting over night. My question is could the values for the other readings be getting high. For instance going down the road at 65mph my ICP was 1250 and my IPR was 62.
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My 94 is on the mend , since I got it a few months ago. The air conditioner blows cool , just not cold . It's still a R12 system, and I got the fittings/R134a/oil charge/and mineral spirits to do the change over, but hesitated when I found someone locally had a few cans of R12 for sale . My thought is to buy 1 can , and see if a shot would make the difference before going through the procedure to flush the 12 out and go with the 134a .
My biggest problem is lack of a gauge set , but a guy from CraigsList here says he walk me through the change over for 60 , and betting he'd have the hoses for a 12 system to hit that if that's how I decide to try first. I just wonder why , since I got it , the "cool" it does blow hasn't changed so I am betting it isn't leaking , but the jackleg I got it from was one that IMHO wouldn't know how to open the hood , or what to leave alone, I am just at that point of impasse, as to which way to go ...
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Was driving issue free most of day, when leaving a red light I noticed my i had to give the van some extra gas to get up and go, then i could feel the brakes getting tighter and tighter to the point where I had to park the van. So currently my van is sitting in a parking lot 30 miles from home with locked up front brakes. Both driver and passenger front wheels were hot to the touch.
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I have a 2005 v6 ford mustang and lately the rpm and the gas gauge have been misreading. At first the it was the gas gauge that was reading off then the rpm gauge soon after. However, sometimes the rpm gauge will be working right but my gas gauge is just completely wrong. The other two gauges are working just fine( temperature & speedometer) ...
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1994 - 3.0 .... Back behind the water pump there is a stream of coolant what could that be. Water pump has been replaced earlier last year I thought that fixed it,there has always been a mystery leak..
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