osuidoc

WTF !

My water temp gauge on my 2.8Q has been acting really strange! After a cold start this am it didn't move from the resting position even after a 45 minute jaunt up the highway. I stopped to check things out and everything seemed normal in the bay. So I head down the road again and after 2 miles the needle begins to register the temp. It rises to below middle and slowly dips down and back up for about ten minutes. Then it dwops back to the resting posittion and doesn't move for the rest of my 2 hr trip!
Whats going on here?
The car didn't overheat but that may be because it is 24 deg out here in Ohio and on the highway I was clocking 75mph the whole way. No warnings came on ini the car but when I finally stopped again, I could see the antifreeze squirting into the plastic tank like it was being pumped back into the reservoir. I don't know if that is normal.

Any help is appreciated guys!

6ULDV8

Bad coolant temp sender most likely. Yes the flow into the expansion tank is normal

osuidoc

No risk of overheat then?

mpuzach

I had the same thing on my 2000 2.8q. The dealer replaced the sensor under warranty and all was well. Though I can't be 100% certain, there may have even been a recall notice on this. Either way, the cure is a simple one.

6ULDV8

lamp that would alert you if you were to overheat. I would get it checked soon because its one of 3 things, bad temp sender (most likely), bad gauge or a thermostat sometimes sticking open. When the thermosat sticks open you can get a stone cold reading on the gauge while going down the highway, especially in cold weather. Getting it checked soon makes sense because a thermostat that is sticking open can stick closed also. Should that happen though you will get a red warning no matter what the gauge is showing. I'm like 95% its just the sender but not being there to see and feel first hand I'm covering all the bases.

osuidoc

Thanks ! Appreciate the info - will get it checked today!