my temp guage is all over the place. When I am drivingn down the highway, it keeps going to the middle of the guage, then falls a very little it, the back up, then back to mormal, then back up. When I take my foot off the go fast pedal, it drops some what, then back up, then I will ride cool, then climb again.

Yesterday, I took it to get the coolant flushed and filled, as I have no idea when it was done last. After they finishd, I left and the truck was doing the same thing.

Can someone give me an idea of what might be the problem. I'm thinking Thermostat or sending unit but I want to make sure before I do either as I really don't like messin' with the coolant system.

I have a 96 4.0 4X4 supercab.

Any help if greatly appreciated as I need to get this fixed before Saturday as I am going on a trip.

Thanks, Chris

 

sounds like a bad temp sensor.......

 

either that or air in the system

 

not likely if it was happening before and after the system flush...

 

x2 or possibly the gauge.

 

I think it's a loose connection, 1/2 broken wire, or a bad guage cluster.

Rich

 

 

So the first and maybe easier solution shoud be to swap out the temp senson guage?

I have noticed there there is a squeak under the hood, I cant seem to figure out where it is coming from though, ever since I heard the squeak, I have noticed the temp gauage going up and down.

 

oof, signs point at eitehr the clutch, or a slipping belt on that part of the system...

Just curious, but how many miles have you driven on that belt?

 

I am the second owner of the truck. So to answer that question, about 6K, it might be time for a new belt as well.

Clutch? Can you be more specific?

 

The cheap and easy reality check is to put a manual temp sensor/guage in the stock sensor location and see if it's really running normal.

btw, when the OEM sensors go bad they don't usually make the guage do that. I'd suspect a loose or broken wire first and foremost.

Rich

 

I was given a TSB on nother site that suggested it is the water pump.

here is the TBS link and the descrition of my exact issue. I could not have described it better. http://www.rangerpowersports.com/for...44&postcount=5

 

Update:

I have repalced the sensor, and T-Stat, Flushed the system and it is still doing the same thing. My neighbor is a back yard mechanic, with all the cool tools so he hooks my truck up to his computer to see what the actual temp is and it is running normal. Got it up to operating temp and the computer was at 190ish degrees. Did the thermo laser thingy and was pretty acturate. Took it for a ten minute test drive up hills and coasting bck down and the highest the temp got was 201.

So according to his super car computer, its running just fine. Gauge still moves around, ut it is not running hot.

 

I'm anxiuos to hear what you come up with. I also have a '96 that sounds like it is doing the same thing. We just bought the Ranger about a months age and after having it a few days I noticed that after it warms up to normal operating temp. which is about 1/2 way it will drop to about 3/8 and then go back up. It will set at each of these 2 positions for a few minutes at a time. I have tried burping the system, didn't appear to be any air pockets, the coolant looks pretty new and changed the rad. cap. Temp. wise its not overheating so I wasn't overly concerned but is it a warning of something on the horizon.

 

That is what I am concerned with as well. If I'm 100 miles away from home, is this going to crap out on me.

 

well, today I was at the bus stop and this guy in a Ranger pulls up, not sure of the year, but he did have the leaf badage on the back of his truck, to get his place in line and I was standing by the drivers side of the truck. He left his door open, so I was ale to look at the gauage. His was dead middle of the gauage. covering the icon to let you know it is the temp gauage.

I guess, there is nothing wrong with my truck. I just know when I bought it last Sept. The needle was reading about mid way between the first line and the temp icon and would not move while driving.