I have an 85 Fiero With a temp gauge problem. It just sets there and does nothing. Any ideas on how to test this circuit to find what at fault? I have heard that the gauges are different in each Fiero! If this is true, I don't know if this E-mail will do any good.

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What engine? The guage sensor on the V6 is here:

To test, unplug the connector, being careful not to break the plastic. If the plastic is already broken, no worries, just remember which wire went to which terminal, there's only two. Ground each wire in turn to the block with the key in the ON position. One wire will illuminate the temp warning light in the dash. The other wire will cause the guage to swing to full scale. If nothing happens, then you've got guage or wiring problems. If it works as expected, then the temp sender is defective.

JazzMan

[This message has been edited by JazzMan (edited 12-20-2003).]

Welcome... judging by your screen name, I am going out on a limb and guessing that you have a 3800SC engine? If so, take a look at the link below:

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/043783.html

Get a good multimeter and ohm the sensor out on the engine. The 3800SC sensor is right below the thermostat housing. The values that Darth provided will give you a good indication on the condition of the sensor. If all checks good at the sensor, then you have a wire problems elsewhere. Good luck.

Thanks for the replys, Tomcat and Jazzman,

Right now, my engine is a 4 banger. Will this idea still work? Also, I pick this user name, because this is the ideal engine that I want. Now I just need to find one - a series II! I just want to get all the bugs out of the car first. What about the gauges, are they really different or no?

All temp gauges are the same. As pointed out earlier there is a dedicated wire for the temp gauge. It's not connected to the ECM so it won't affect the car if it doesn't work.

The top sensor shown in this photo is the temp gauge/lamp combo. The lower one is the ecm sensor.

The green wire with a stripe (may also be tan) is the gauge sender and the solid green one is lamp switch.

And a search for 'temperature gauge' will turn up a wealth of tips for diagnosing guage and sensor problems. Search button is in upper right portion of the page.

I would like to thank everyone for there help with my problem. I did the test and it looks like I have to replace the gauge. I am going to wait till it warms up though. It's 20 degrees here in Cleveland.

Don