96 Explorer - Temp guage shows WAY too hot

[nbhatt]

Hello,

I am having a problem with my wife's 96 Limited and am hoping someone here can help.

About a year ago, we had the instrument cluster die and I could only find a '98 cluster at the wrecking yard so I went ahead and replaced it. Everything works perfectly with the new cluster except for one thing...

Since I swapped clusters, the Explorer (which had previously been running at normal temp ranges -- around the middle of the guage) now shows much higher temps than before on the guage. In normal driving, the old guage showed in the middle of the NORMAL range and the new one is usually around the A or L in the word "Normal". In hot weather (80-95 degrees) it frequently gets into the red area. I live in Detroit and for 2 months in the summer it almost constantly stays pegged pretty much at the top end of the guage and the "check gage" light stays on. The only time the check gage light goes off in the summer is when the engine is cold. After 30 mins of driving, it appears to be running way too hot.

Nothing else has changed except that the coolant hasn't been changed in two years. I don't think that is the problem because it started happening RIGHT when I changed the cluster.

Any ideas? Do I have a bad gauge? Can the temp gauge be changed by itself or do I need another cluster? (I'll be smarter and buy a 96 one this time...). I'm wondering if the guage in the 98 is more sensitive or uses different voltages.. do I need to get a temperature sender for a 98 model maybe?

Any help would be MUCH appreciated! I'd like to change the coolant this summer and can't because if I do and the truck starts to overhead, nobody will know! (now that my wife is trained to ignore the hot temparature reading..)

Any ideas on how I can check the temparature with a thermometer and compare it to what it should be on the gauge? As long as I know it's the proper temp, I don't mind leaving the gauge the way it is...

Thanks!
Neal
(bhatt@ic.net)

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96 Explorer Limited

 

[Weatherman]

It's odd that they would change something like a temperature guage between 96 and 98. I keep a temp guage in the toolbox for when I work on cars with idiot lights. It's the type that you would mount in a car. Have to change out the sending unit for it, but that is the only way I can think of to keep pressure on the system and measure temperature. Pressure does affect your temperature.

Maybe grab the sending unit off of a 98.

 

[Skip Pendle]

As a quick check, call a Ford dealer and ask for the part numbers for a 96 temperature sending element and a 98 element. If they are not the same then this could be the problem.

 

[sempermech69]

the senders changed in 97' to a two wire(sohc) ...sometimes changing the slosh module will fix it