I took the dash off and gauge cluster to clean. When I reinstalled I noticed the Coolant Temp Gauge Needle pointing up! When I was cleaning I noticed the needls on the speed moving around etc. Did this needle just get stuck up and needs a gentle bump down?
I took the dash off and gauge cluster to clean. When I reinstalled I noticed the Coolant Temp Gauge Needle pointing up! When I was cleaning I noticed the needls on the speed moving around etc. Did this needle just get stuck up and needs a gentle bump down?
Thanks
I've had that problem, bumping it back down will fix it, the early gauges don't reset to zero automatically
Full right, as your meter shows, indicates an open grounded circuit. Chances are that the plug on the right side of the cluster has the flexible circuit board delaminated and is causing the problem.
[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 03-19-2024).]
Full right, as your meter shows, indicates an open circuit. Chances are that the plug on the right side of the cluster has the flexible circuit board delaminated and is causing the problem.
No, the needle only travels between minimum and maximum on the indicated gauge electrically, through the range of its signal, if the needle was physically bumped, or it got the signal for full temp repeatedly on and off a few times without time for the needle to return to the off position, essentially ratcheting the needle up like that. The second gen instruments have much more range and that could be what you said, but the 1st gen instruments can get stuck like that relatively easily.
The needles can get stuck, but full right is an open circuit on all Fiero temp gages.
Yes, but not that far full right, on the early gauges they physically cannot go that far unless physically bumped up there, late gauges maybe have the electrical control to go up there, but early gauges, of it is that far up, it is entirely physical. Early gauge range, full left to full right is exactly what is numbered, it can't go below the lowest number, and can't go above the highest number, very small range, do if it is past that range, it was physically pushed up there, and simply rotating the needle back will fix it, the early gauges also don't return to zero when turning off the car, which doesn't help.
I found that the initial hard swing on start-up, due to the "unusual" wiring of the gage circuit that puts full voltage during crank, got my needle stuck in that exact position. All I had to do was remove the gage to allow the needle to return to the normal position in order to fix it.
I found that the initial hard swing on start-up, due to the "unusual" wiring of the gage circuit that puts full voltage during crank, got my needle stuck in that exact position. All I had to do was remove the gage to allow the needle to return to the normal position in order to fix it.
That could also cause it, especially if you pressed the key 2+ times in quick succession, are your needless yellow or orange, because orange is much more likely to get stuck from physical issues, and electrically "ratcheting" up when the signal is applied on/off/on very fast, yellow needles, are more likely to be an electrical fault or bad signal then being truely "stuck" up there due to there increased throw and the way they return to zero.
I have corrected my two previous posts in this thread.
The temp gage will deflect full right when the circuit is grounded.
Thie mistake in the OEM wiring that causes this is due to the gage lead being connected to the ignition switch terminal G2 in the KEY ON and START positions. The situation can be easily corrected by clipping the two small diameter green wires on this terminal and connecting them together.
There are also other methods for eliminating the gage pegging AND showing the HOT light at BULB TEST/START.
I apologize for the previous bad information which has been corrected.
I don't prefer the fix you posted because it changes the OEM wiring in the engine bay at the temp sender and also in the interior. If the car is ever resold, troubleshooting could be an issue.
I prefer to do the wiring change only in the interior, by attaching the HOT lamp wire to the G2 terminal and removing the GAGE wire from the G2 terminal.
It's easier and less complicated, especially if the car is sold and the change to the wiring in the engine bay isn't noted.
