Ok, so over the weekend i replaced my thermostat because it was stuck open and was running too cold and affecting the idle etc, etc. It fixed the problem and ran at about 1/3 - 1/2 on the temp gauge.... Then starting yesterday its been running at about 1/8 - 1/4 but this time its not affecting the idle. Also i can watch the little needle jump back and forth to 1/2 and 1/8 a couple times then just stick at 1/8. It does this most notable as i'm just setting out driving or pretty much randomly. Could it be a wire broken in my dash or faulty wire? Or something that reads the engine temp being broken? Any input will help a lot as i really just want this to go away.

 

I've heard that the temp gauges in these trucks can go out quite commonly. I don't know if that's it or not, it will take some diagnosis on your part. To answer your questions: yes. It could be a broken or faulty wire, the temp sender could be faulty, or it could be the gauge.

Unless the dash has been apart, or the vehicle was in a wreck, or been hacked on, or has had mice in it, I doubt it's a wire.

You can check the resistance of the temp. sender using an ohm-meter. Refer to the service manual on the specs and procedure. If that checks out, my guess is that it's the gauge itself.

Good luck and keep us posted on any updates.

 

Ok... I'm almost positive that its the temp sensor sending the temperature to the gauge.
Problem is, i don't know which one is the right sender. There's the green one to the right then there is a gray one to the left. Its on a 1995 toyota pickup with the 22re.
The temp sensor is the only thing i know of that makes the gauge wiggle back and forth like mine does. I just need to know which sensor to replace.

 

sensor should be on the intake not the front. I think you're looking at the cold start swtch and i forget what the other one is called. The temp sending unit should be on your intake plenum next to the valve cover about half way back to the fire wall.

It's the yellow wire next to the valve cover on the left.

 

right behind the t-stat housing. slightly to the left of it. Hope this helps.

 

Are we talking about the same thing? I think its the sensor that sends the reading to the gauge on the dash.
That is what is faulty.
Also quick question... what type of air filter is that? And also what type of little filter is that? By the power steering fluid.

 

Yeah, he showed you a pic but its hard to see it lol. Hard to see on here too, but you can see it if you zoom, the pic stays clear: http://www.ncttora.com/fsm/1990-1995...c/componen.pdf

scroll to the bottom right, one page up from the very bottom. (W3) Gauge temp sender

 

Yup we're talking about the same thing. I only know since i've replaced it in the past. Both filters are spectre brand available at most auto parts stores.The little one is for the "silencer" for the intake. It's tied into the cannister below the intake that's shaped like a baseball. It starts at the stock AFM and runs along the stock intake tube. That's just were mind ended up after installing the supra AFM.

you can see the tube running over the intake tube here. It connects to the round canister to the left of the throttle body. I just zip tied it to that area and kept it high in the engine compartment to keep water out.

 

I would not focus too much on the switch yet...

When you did your T-stat, you indroduced air into your cooling system. You probably have an air bubble and it needs to be burped before I would get to crazy replacing parts.

1. Put the truck on an incline so the motor is higher then the rear wheels.
2. Take off the radiator cap and fill it up if it's low in any way.
3. Run the truck untill it's up to operating temp and the T-Stat is open. (The cap needs to be off)
4. Squeeze the top radiator hose a few times, some radiator fluid will come out, but all the air will too.
5. Let it cool fully with the cap off.
6. If there was an air bubble in the system, the level of the fluid will be a little low. Fill up to the correct level.
7. Put the cap back on and your good to go.

Much easier and simpler than replacing parts that may or may not need replacing.

 

Sounds reasonable.

I would at least diagnose it with a multi-meter before replacing it.

 

Ok so I burped it for what seemed like 30 minutes. I've never seen so much air come out of the radiator. Low and behold my engine ran normal today! the needle stayed right below the halfway mark and didn't jump at all.
Lets just hope it stays like this.
It may also have been a loose wire because i took all of them out, blew all the dust out then put them back on.
Its all good for now and i appreciate the input guys!
My next repair is going to be new shocks and the Zuk mod with the 12 inch springs. Wish me luck.

 

yes, it's always the easy things that seem to trip us up.

I have had your same problem and it's always been an air bubble in the cooling system

 

Ah good to see it was a simple fix. Mine did same, ran cool idled kinda high, bought a dual stage stat, kinda expensive, now all is OK.

 

Bloody hell.... It was fixed for like 5 days. Then on my camping trip this weekend it started acting up again.
I know its not an air bubble in the system because i've burped it 3 times now.
I'm certain its the Engine temp sender. Where can i get these and how hard of a job is it?

 

if its not over heating just drive it..