Really need an answer here please

[Derekjeterkid2]

Here is the deal..... I just had a new radiator installed yesterday, i thought this would fix my problem of the temp gage going to the A of NORMAL and then going right back down the the N happens on the highway mostly i dont know if this is bad that the gauge goes a little past the middle but its annnoying, and wonder if its bad for the EX. does anyone elses explorer do this? by the way it was 415$ to have this done is that a good price?

 

[Premier]

Sounds like the thermostat is sticking. It then opens, and the engine cools. I dont think its a big deal, but you can replace it for a few dollars.

 

[JaxExplorer]

Hi there and welcome to the board. I've got an 94 X doing the same thing, you can search the boards, which I did yesterday and find some simple solutions to this problem. I haven't tried any of them yet, will do it this weekend. Search "Temp Gage".

 

[Derekjeterkid2]

I have searched!

I cant find many good answers..... need a first hand experince

 

[Eneurb]

$415 is an alright price if you got breakfast with it. It's pretty likely that you have a thermostat problem... it's wise to start with a t-stat for cooling system problems like that, as the cost far less than $415 to replace.

 

[MrShorty]

Clarification: does it heat up to A then cool down and stay there? or does it continuously cycle between A and N?

 

[Derekjeterkid2]

hmmmm

thing is i had gotten the tstat replaced about 2 months prior to this problem and then it started doing this gauge waving thing again and the day before i brought into the shop the radiator was spewing out coolent from bothsides, i had the cold fill filled and everything but it went back and forth anyway and its STILL doing it even with a new radiator.


and it cycles back and forth it really never stays in one spot unless im idling.............i thought this whole time i had a cracked head or somethin but no white smoke or milky oil

 

[MrShorty]

I've seen two different things cause my gauge to swign like that:
1) A clogged heater core
2) A sticky thermostat. Thermostats don't have to be old to be bad.

Other things that come to mind
1) I could potentially see a bad fan clutch doing this if it were slow to "feel" the heat and engage.
2) Other restrictions in the cooling system
3) Electrical fault in the dash gauge. Not sure if this is true on a '94, but my '92 uses two separate temperature sensors: one for the dash gauge and one for the computer. Once, when my temperature was cycling like that, I put a voltmeter on the computer's sensor to see if it's movement would parallel the movement of the dash gauge. It did, so I knew the temperature fluctuation was real and not an artifact of the dash gauge electronics.

 

[Derekjeterkid2]

thanks

alright thanks for the tips fellas, if i go back to where i got the new radiator put in can they look at it more and beable to tell why its doing it...... should i go back to pep boys where i got the tstat changed and complain?

bottom line is i wanna know if its bad for the truck or not

 

[Ryan1]

the reason its moving around is because there is air in there somewhere.

you might have a small leak somewhere that you dont know. small enought that its not dripping on the ground. get under there and take a good look.

 

[Derekjeterkid2]

yea but i just got a brand new raditator..... wouldent they have burped it or whatever the saying is.... i would not know where to look ive looked under there so many times cuz the car has givin me so much ****,


1 is if i let go of the steering well it wants to go right into a tree on the right side of the road it sucks anyone else have this problem? I have to hold the weel like 10 degrees to the left to keep it straight
ive had the alignment done 3 times in 2 years

 

[Ryan1]

yea but i just got a brand new raditator..... wouldent they have burped it or whatever the saying is.... i would not know where to look ive looked under there so many times cuz the car has givin me so much ****,

I still bet there is air in there.

Ryan

 

[Derekjeterkid2]

hmm ok so how do i get it out lol