'96 Ford Contour Sport
#1
01-08-08, 12:45 PM
'96 Ford Contour Sport
Two problems which have appeared more or less at the same time:
1) temp gauge seems to stay at the very low end of the dial, sometimes never comes off the bottom at all, but usually just comes up a little. I was suspecting temp sender or loose connection at the sender, but have not got around to checking that.
2) now, the fuel gage barely goes above the 1/2 mark when fully topped off.
Can these two issues somehow be related in some way...some electrical issue that affects both?
Thank you.
1) temp gauge seems to stay at the very low end of the dial, sometimes never comes off the bottom at all, but usually just comes up a little. I was suspecting temp sender or loose connection at the sender, but have not got around to checking that.
2) now, the fuel gage barely goes above the 1/2 mark when fully topped off.
Can these two issues somehow be related in some way...some electrical issue that affects both?
Thank you.
#2
01-08-08, 01:46 PM
Some gauge setups in cars have a separate voltage regulator feeding the gauges at some lower voltage, maybe 9 volts as an example (I remember a Toyota that had a setup like this). If the voltage regulator is failing and the regulated voltage has dropped, all gauges would start to read low. You need to get a schematic of the vehicles electrical system to see if you have an instrument voltage regulator. Maybe a DIY manual at an Autozone would have this, or some public libraries have Motors Electrical schematics you can copy.
#4
01-08-08, 05:37 PM
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#5
01-08-08, 06:24 PM
Point an infrared thermometer (I paid $50 exactly, for mine at an auto parts store, and they wanted $100 for the same type one out at one of our large electrical supply houses) at your thermostat housing and that should answer at least your first question, and then you can move on to look into if the two problems might be related.
#6
01-08-08, 07:38 PM
The heater works. In fact, I get warm air from the heater within a minute or 2 at the most, even on a very cold day ( outside temp ~40, which is cold for us!)
