Lazy Temperature Gauge on 2nd Gen?

[trueknight]

Hello All. I don't post a whole lot but was curious if anyone with a 2nd Gen had this wierd observation.

I have a 98 XL 4 Door RWD w/ the 4.0 OHV engine. I notice that on my instrumentation cluster, the engine temperature gauge fluctuates with driving. I think it has been doing this ever since I bought it new in '98. Basically in cold weather, if I don't drive past 2.5k RPM, the engine temperature will drop to near C (cold) after reaching the mid-point during climbs or heavy acceleration. It never goes above the midpoint so I've never seen it at H (engine overheat) even when I drive with a heavy-foot. In fact, it kind of almost operates like an outside temperature gauge since I see it more often in the winter than in the summer. Has anyone else observe this? Not sure if it is an indication of a bad ECT.

I've never seen this in any other car. Once those car's temperature gauge reaches warm or midpoint, they stay that way until the car has been off for a couple of hours and doesn't fluctuate during driving.

 

[ExplangerXLT527]

Hello All. I don't post a whole lot but was curious if anyone with a 2nd Gen had this wierd observation.

I have a 98 XL 4 Door RWD w/ the 4.0 OHV engine. I notice that on my instrumentation cluster, the engine temperature gauge fluctuates with driving. I think it has been doing this ever since I bought it new in '98. Basically in cold weather, if I don't drive past 2.5k RPM, the engine temperature will drop to near C (cold) after reaching the mid-point during climbs or heavy acceleration. It never goes above the midpoint so I've never seen it at H (engine overheat) even when I drive with a heavy-foot. In fact, it kind of almost operates like an outside temperature gauge since I see it more often in the winter than in the summer. Has anyone else observe this? Not sure if it is an indication of a bad ECT.

I've never seen this in any other car. Once those car's temperature gauge reaches warm or midpoint, they stay that way until the car has been off for a couple of hours and doesn't fluctuate during driving.

I have a '96 XLT, a buddy of mine noticed I had an oil like substance leaking from my gauge. I changed my gauge with a sunpro temp gauge from Auto Zone and mounted it on the "A" post, it reads at 180 degrees while driving. Maybe try that to see if you have an issue or change the electronic temp sensor. Located at the thermostat.

Matt

 

[2000StreetRod]

defective thermostat?

One possibility is that your thermostat is stuck open.