My temp gauge is running at almost cold...any ideas for what could be going on?

Seems to coincide with the smell of exhaust appearing recently.

9/28/2009 3:16:28 PM

running waaaay too rich?

[Edited on September 28, 2009 at 3:19 PM. Reason : ]

9/28/2009 3:18:52 PM

thermostat stuck open

9/28/2009 3:26:41 PM

If it were stuck open wouldnt the gauge be pegged?

It goes up to almost half at times, but most of the time is very very low.

^^Would that affect fuel mileage? Fuel mileage has been normal.

[Edited on September 28, 2009 at 3:51 PM. Reason : .]

9/28/2009 3:51:03 PM

Thermostat stuck open = runs cold.

When you start the car the thermostat should be closed. When the engine reaches operating temp it opens up allowing coolant to flow through the engine and cool it. If it's stuck open it just lets the coolant flow through at all times. Normally it will warm up eventually if the thermostat is stuck open, but it takes a long time.

Fuel mileage usually goes down for that 15-20 minutes while the car is running colder than it should...Once it warms up it shouldn't matter much so you're only going to see the fuel mileage hit if you take a lot of short trips.

It's a $7 part. Get a new gasket & some gasket sealer too, but go ahead and replace that thing.

[Edited on September 28, 2009 at 4:05 PM. Reason : l]

9/28/2009 4:02:32 PM

it warms up pretty easily

9/28/2009 4:25:42 PM

year, make, model?

if you have access to a decent OBD II scanner, check the actual coolant temperature that the ECU is reading

9/28/2009 8:20:10 PM

I'm going to guess that it's a 1992 Toyota Camry. So the car warms up or runs cold?

9/28/2009 8:46:03 PM

um yeah my reading comprehension today isn't so good

9/28/2009 8:56:26 PM

Easy fix Crash that shit and get a new car.

9/28/2009 8:58:21 PM

honda coolant sensors can fail and register constantly cold. Unplug it and put an ohm meter on it. Should be high resistance cold and go down when warm. i have never worked on a toyota but i'm sure its all the same.

good luck!!!!!11111111

9/28/2009 9:02:58 PM

^

10/19/2009 1:18:29 PM

^^Yep...NTC thermistor. Should start out around 3k ohms when cold as hell (read: like damn freezing), and operating should be around 70 to 100 ohms when at operating temperature. If it's cold on a 70 degree day, I'm pretty sure it should be around 500 to 1000 ohms.

However, the coolant temperature sensor doesn't have a damn thing to do with the gauge. If the gauge is cycling a lot, with normal to hot temps while standing still and cold as hell when moving, then dat thermostat be stuck.

[Edited on October 19, 2009 at 2:10 PM. Reason : stuck, I tell ya.]

10/19/2009 2:09:34 PM

does it make your eyes water, or just smell like ass?

10/21/2009 7:43:02 AM

Funny...I farted in my office this morning, and it smelled like ass AND made my eyes water. Does that mean I'm running way too rich?

10/21/2009 9:50:54 AM

it means its running through you way too fast

10/21/2009 9:55:20 AM

eyes water

10/24/2009 3:03:17 PM

i've got pretty much the same problem on my 85 4runner

a mechanic told me i needed a new temp guage, cheapest I could find one is $191 shipped

i've been driving it this way for close to a year now...

priorities.

10/24/2009 11:28:48 PM

not a gauge

you have two temp senders, a single wire one that grounds to the engine for the guage, and a two or three wire on that uses reference voltage for the computer, which is the one you need to replace, the ect sensor, both are close together on the thermostat housing

10/26/2009 9:57:58 AM