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1997 Ford Taurus

Question: Temp on dashboard gauge reads cold whether engine is running normal or hot.

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Visitor, 3.0L V6, Norcross, GA, April 28, 2011, 20:25

After driving 70 miles, the temp gauge never went to the middle between hot and cold, but stayed close to cold. The engine did not appear overly hot. However on the return trip in the evening, the temp remained the same while the engine seemed very hot upon opening the hood. The mec hanic could find nothing wrong said to just worry if it read hot!

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  • Answer #1

    patrick mannion from Greg Solow's Engine Room, April 28, 2011, 20:43
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     Master

    Either the thermostat is stuck open (its simple to replace, it may improve heater output during cold weather, improve gas mileage and reduce engine wear if replaced), or the temperature gauge is reading inaccurately perhaps due to a defective sender unit. Most mechanics have a non contact heat measuring gun that measure temperature at the thermostat housing to determine if the thermostat is open or closed.

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    cogcan, April 29, 2011, 04:45
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     Journeyman

    my moneys on the temp sender

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    beetleluigi, April 30, 2011, 07:24
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     Rookie

    Thank you. That was my initial thought (thermostat) but mechanic did'nt find problem. Will update.

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