Temp gauge issue

[selavia]

Hey all,
My temp gauge was working fine for quite sometime, and then the other day I hit a really bad pothole, and now everytime I hit a bump, the temp gauge will fall all the way to cold, and when I hit another bump, it'll go back to where it's supposed to be. Do you think it's a loose wire behind the cluster, or somewhere else? And if it's behind the cluster, how the hell do I take it out?
Thanks. Sean

 

[JUS]

Selavia

I Do Not Believe Your Problem Is In The Instrument Panel Are You Receiving Erratic Readings From Your Tachometer,fuel, Temperature, Speedometer Gauges? The Only Problem Is The Temp Gauge? Check Your
Temp Sensor On The Left Hand Side Of The Cylinder Head. You Will See
Two Sensors The Temp Is The Rear One Wire Color Brown/violet. To Improve Access To The Sensor Disconnect The Coolant Hose And Free The Cable Channel From The Manifold. Check Your Wires And Connection At The Sensor If You Need To Replace Your Sensor Remember To Either Partially Drain The Cooling System To Just Below The Level Of Thr Sensor Or Have Ready A Suitable Plug Which Can Be Used To Plug The Sensor Aperture While It Is Removed.

Jus-n-5

 

[selavia]

Selavia

I Do Not Believe Your Problem Is In The Instrument Panel Are You Receiving Erratic Readings From Your Tachometer,fuel, Temperature, Speedometer Gauges? The Only Problem Is The Temp Gauge? Check Your
Temp Sensor On The Left Hand Side Of The Cylinder Head. You Will See
Two Sensors The Temp Is The Rear One Wire Color Brown/violet. To Improve Access To The Sensor Disconnect The Coolant Hose And Free The Cable Channel From The Manifold. Check Your Wires And Connection At The Sensor If You Need To Replace Your Sensor Remember To Either Partially Drain The Cooling System To Just Below The Level Of Thr Sensor Or Have Ready A Suitable Plug Which Can Be Used To Plug The Sensor Aperture While It Is Removed.

Jus-n-5

Hey thanks for the help man. However I do have a few follow-up questions and comments.

1) Where is "left of the head?" relatively speaking:


X= Cylinder


Rear of Car
X
X
X
Pass. X Driver's Side
Side

Front of Car



Please use my diagram and let me know

2) My gas gauge does the same thing, except not as frequently.

3) When I press of the cluster (i.e. push the whole assembly in) it usually returns to where it should be.

I appreciate the feedback. Any other assistance would be great. THANKS!

 

[selavia]

A bit of an update. Today I was driving for quite some time on an interstate, and now the gas gauge is doing that shit constantly. If I push the entire cluster in (towards the engine) it stops screwing about. It there some loose connection somewhere or what? How do I remove the cluster?

 

[JUS]

Selavia
After Your Update I Now Beleive Your Problem Is In The Instrument Panel Electrical Feed. To Check Your Connectors You Have To Remove The Instrument Panel From The Dash. First Have Your Stero Activation Code Handy You Have To Remove Your Steering Wheel. Disconnect Your Battery Wait About 10-15 Min Before Removing Your Steering Wheel

1. Set The Front Wheels In The Stright-ahead Position And Released The Steering Lock By Inserting The Ignition Key.

2. Remove The Steering Column Cover One Screw At The Bottom Of The Cover.

3. Disable The Air Bag System, Unplug The Orange Connector Under The Steering Column And The Connector From The Contact Ring.

4. Loosen And Remove The Two Airbag Retaining Screws From The Rear Of The Steering Wheel.

5. Remove The Airbag Module Keep The Trim Side Away From Your Body And Place It On The Bench/back Seat Have The Trim Side Facing Up.

6. After Removing The Airbag Module, Remove The Steering Wheel Retaining Bolt.

7. After Removing The Steering Wheel Retaining Bolt(but Before Removing The Wheel), Mark The Relationship Of The Steering Wheel To The Steering Shaft.

8. Lift Off The Steering Wheel Note The Location Of Pin On Top Left On The Column:when The Wheel Is Installed Again,make Sure That This Pin Engages In The Hole In The Contact Ring On The Backside Of The Steering Wheel.

9. Loosen And Removed The Retaining Screws From The Top Of The Instrument Panel And Carefully Withdraw The Panel From The Dash.

10. Inspect The Electrical Connectors From The Cluster. Some Of The Clusters Connectors Have Locking Tangs On Top That Must Be Pried Open With A Small Screwdrivers Before They Can Be Unplugged.

11. Installation Is The Reverse Of The Removal Reconnect The Battery And Check The Operation Of The Panel Waring Lights To Ensure That They Are Functioning Correctly.


Good Luck
Jus-n-5

 

[selavia]

Thanks jus-n-5. Hopefully I'll get a chance to fix that problem. Sounds like a hec of a lot of dissassembling to get to it. I know on Toyotas you don't have to mess with any part of the steering. Thanks again man. Sean

 

[aussie320]

Selavia,
Before you go to the trouble of disassembling the streering wheel, check if you can remove the cluster through the top section of the steering wheel. (I can on my 91 320i). It is a tight squeeze but it can be done by pulling out the cluster, clipping the connectors then rotating the cluster. Be careful not to snap any plastic tabs.
regards
Paul