Q: Temperature gauge isn't working properly

asked by on November 08, 2016

Temperature gauge fails to reach the usual middle position when driving and is usually situated nearer towards the 50 (lowest value) rather than 90 (normal middle value). However, if I am stationary with the engine running or sat in traffic, then the temperature gauge manages to reach and maintain the usual middle 90 value, only dropping once I start moving again.

My car has 125000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

This may suggest a faulty cooling fan relay. As you may know the helps to maintain the proper coolant temperature by turning the fans on and off at specific temperature thresholds. When this switch is not working properly, this can cause the fans to come on intermittently, all the time or sometimes not at all. When this happens you will notice a temperature spike and drop occasionally as the fan comes on and off. If you need help with this repair, I would suggest having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home to diagnose your issue firsthand and service your coolant fan switch as necessary.

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