Temp Gauge Question

hytorksc

Registered User
Does anyone know if (or suspect) that the SC's temp gauge lies to you sometimes? I mean why does the temp always reads hotter going up a hill (not even a steep one), and much cooler when going down a hill? It does this even if you're not getting down hard on the throttle up the hill. And the gauge really scares you when using AC on a hot day. I really don't understand why it does this.

Are our engines that badly designed that the slightest bit of extra load causes the engine to dramatically heat up?

In my 2004 Toyota Camry, the temp ALWAYS reads steady, in the middle regardless of the temp outside and whether the AC is on, and I know their gauge setup are not any better than ours- i did notice their radiator was almost twice as wide though (same 2 core), and i guess it can control it much better because it has 4 cyls heating up instead of 6. Maybe i just answered my own question.

Anyone here have insight on if temp readings on an SC are bogus or not? Is that why it's called an idiot gauge?

thanks-
 
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I understand what you are talking about and it really depends on the individual car. Even if its the same model with the same options and mileage they react different to similar conditions.

You might want to check the condition and level of your coolant and cooling system, just to make sure that you are on top of things with the car.
 
I've gone thru everything- flushed the system, installed new rad, purged all the air out, installed new 180* therm, installed a high powered 2950cfm aftermarket 16" cooling fan and modded it to run all the time, installed air dam, taken out the AC condenser (temporarily to see if it makes a difference). No matter what I do, it runs steady on or just before the "N" of norm on the gauge when driving on level roads unless it's super cold outside, which is still good. This is not what bothers me. What i can't figure out is that the needle moves up near the "O" when going up any hill longer than a mile, and it doesn't matter how much load or how slow or fast i'm going. And in really hot weather it will shoot past the O to the R, especially with the AC on going up a hill. Then the weird thing about it is that the temp gauge needle goes colder between the "C" and the "N"- way cold having the opposite effect going down the same hill. Is the gauge just super sensitive? if the temp fluctuates this much all the time, it's no wonder why the head gaskets blow on these cars so much with all that constant expanding and contracting going on.

I'm not saying that anythings really wrong with the engine running temp, but i find it very weird that every SC I have ever owned (4 of them) have had the temp gauge react this way. I also know the SC rad is too small anyway, and in hot weather it can get away from you if not careful.
no other car i have ever owned or worked on has reacted this way.

i just want to know if anyone knows what i'm saying and has any insight on this?
maybe it's really nothing-
 
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my stock temp guage use to read high all the time. After i put a mechanical water temp guage in the car... ive found that its innacurate. Its been in the 40-50's here and my car stays in the 190-195 area as in the same weather the stock guage would be somewhere in the mid 200's i supose.
 
Then what I would do is put the 195 degree thermostat and see if the car still does the same thing. If so then you just deal with it cause thats how the car is gonna be, saying that there are no other signs of a problem. If it stops then you know why it did it.
 
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