What does it mean when your temperature gauge fluctuates

Cars have fans that trigger when temperatures reach a certain point than turn off when temperatures hit a lower point. If the engine temperature is stable when driving at highway speed and temperature rises when idling or in traffic the fan is the cause.

If it is fluctuating wildly then there could be several issues.

What does it mean when your temperature gauge fluctuates. Also if the engine timing is off the engine running too lean or the exhaust is plugged catalytic converter those conditions can cause the engine to overheat. Quite a number of possibilities have to be looked at. If you want to rule out the worst certainly you could check for exhaust in the coolant on a DIY basis.

If the temperature gauge fluctuates alongside the ODBII readings be prepared for a set of potential issues. One of them is a clog in the radiator but theres also air in the coolant plumbing system. What does it mean when your temperature gauge fluctuates.

That means that its time for you to take it straight to a qualified mechanic to have proper diagnostics done on it It could be any number of things going wrong and no one online can know what is going on in your specific case since we cannot diagnose your vehicle. What does it mean when your temperature gauge fluctuates. It typically means your thermostat needs to be replaced.

Thermostats usually block the flow of engine coolant until they reach a specific temperature then they allow the coolant to flow. What does it mean when your temperature gauge fluctuates. Cars have fans that trigger when temperatures reach a certain point than turn off when temperatures hit a lower point.

Most cars have a dummy gauge that doesnt move much unless the car is cold and warming up or has a serious problem. Your car temperature gauge might be proving funny as it fluctuates erratically. Common reasons for this irregularity include a lousy radiator defective water pump leakage in the coolant level faulty thermostat.

Why does my temp gauge fluctuates. One common cause is a defective thermostat a component that is inexpensive and easy to replace. Other causes of a fluctuating temperature gauge are a failing radiator fan insufficient coolant level and a leaking cylinder head gasket.

Answered 3 years ago Author has 52K answers and 152M answer views. A temperature gauge will normally fluctuate as the thermostat opens and closes. If it is fluctuating wildly then there could be several issues.

If the engine temperature is stable when driving at highway speed and temperature rises when idling or in traffic the fan is the cause. Is it normal for car temperature gauge to fluctuate. If youre driving your car and the temperature gauge is stuck on high low or going crazy the issue is most likely with your thermostat.

Electrical Noise The final cause is due to electrical noise in the freezer monitoring system. This can often be identified from the temperature data in the form of random jumps in temperature from 05 to. Thats normal engine load increases temp wind direction plus the thermostat opening closing can also show on the gauge.

Also the fans coming on. Ive noticed over the last several weeks my temperature gauge will fluctuate somewhat. Im very particular and certainly dont want to run my car hot so I dont like it at all.

According to the gauge Im used to seeing it around 190 degrees or somewhere close to that. On occasion it will fluctuate up to 220-240. An accurate temperature gauge will always fluctuate because the temperature in the engine fluctuates.

Usually the only time this is really noticeable is when the engine has been working hard and suddenly has to wait at a junction or similar and the gauge can rise considerably. I bad thing it may be is the valve that controls the coolant into your car may be broken. So what happens is that your engine doesnt cool down at certain times.

It happened to one of my cars years ago and in the end my engine blew. Some cars use the engine coolant temperature sensor to control the electric cooling fans. You have two separate temperature sensors for the fans dashboard gauge and engine management in most cars.

However if your car has a single sensor a bad engine coolant temperature sensor may result in your fans wont start at all. The P0116 may indicate the cause of the problem. The code indicates that a wire from the engine coolant temperature sensor is shorting to ground or open somewhere.

Of course intermittent means. The engine computer in response turns on the engine cooling fans to lower the reported hot engine coolant temperature. Gauge fluctuates constantly between normal and 210 in cool weather40 below.

Also during accleration it will rise to 210 and drop back down never staying at a constant temp. It constantly moves between normal and 210 exempt during summer time it stays steady. I replaced the t-stat 3 times having no affect.

After successfully replacing my clutch and reassembling my 2003 eclipse RS i now have a problem. When driving the temperature gauge fluctuates between halfway and the quarters of the way up. Unfortunately when i turn the heater on it runs hot for a little while and then gets very cold.

Tonight i almost went into the red on the temp gauge when i. Why is the temperature gauge on the dashboard not working. Thus the temperature gauge on your dashboard is your window into the coolant temperature as seen by the temperature sending unit.

It lets you know when the engine is cool at operating temperature overheating or fluctuating. The sending unit is a thermistor. Why Car Temperature Gauge Rises Then Falls.

Everything mentioned so far can all contribute to the malfunctioning of your car temperature gauge. However the temperature gauge itself can also get faulty and begin to malfunction. But it is important to know that the temperature gauge works in different ways in different vehicles.

This means that the temperature of the coolant is fine - but the switch or sensor that converts the temperature to a voltage for the gauge on yur dashboard is the problem. If the temperature is fluctuating up and down you should have it fixed. What does it mean when your temperature gauge fluctuates.

If youre driving your car and the temperature gauge is stuck on high low or going crazy the issue is most likely with your thermostat. The job of the thermostat is to regulate the movement of coolant in your vehicle and maintain the best temperature for engine operation.