Temp gauge

[tmodaniel]

My temp gauge works fine if I have the heater off, but if i turn it on as soon as i start driving the gauge drops below the c mark. If i turn the heater off it comes up to where it is supposed to be. The heat works fine but the gauge is acting strange any suggestions?

 

[BradE.]

Probably a weak thermostat, or perhaps a worn out radiator cap.

Could also check the temp sending unit just to be sure.

 

[wired_af]

Ya its the thermostat...i had the same problem on my 98...you can buy a new thermostat from anywhere like Autozone...they are very inexpensive and real easy to install.

What happened on mine is i had little minerial deposits (i think) of some sort in my radiator, so when the fluid circulated the little chucks of gunk got stuck in the thermostat causing the the thermostat to be wide open. so too much fluid was running through the engine which causes the engine to be cold, which explains the temp. guage. so i ended up drianing the radiator and cleaning all the deposits out.

replaced the thermostat and fixed the problem.

 

[tmodaniel]

Thank you all for your input, I went to Napa this morning and bought a thermostat for $5.89, fixed the problem, runs great again.