Author Topic: Temp gauge acting up  (Read 6412 times)

Offline Texanrider

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 60
  • Country: us
  • There's no excuse for what I am about to do...
Temp gauge acting up
« on: March 16, 2012, 08:47:21 PM »
I was out of town for two weeks for work and the first thing I did today when I got back was hop on the bike for a 200 mile stretch. I noticed that while going at highway speeds, my temp gauge was not moving at all. It was standing still as if the bike was shut down. The moment I stopped at a light, it started jolting all over the place. It went from cold, to 1/4 to 1/2 temp, back down, etc. It was not smooth transitioning either. Any idea of what could be going on?

A few months ago, I did a coolant flush ANS all was well. Would it be time to replace the thermostat? Fwiw, it's a 95 c-10 with 59k miles on it.
09 Boulevard C50
95 Kawasaki Concours


Offline jim_de_hunter

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
  • Country: 00
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2012, 09:28:43 PM »
Sounds like a bad ground but the schematic shows that the sensor is grounded through the sensor itself and gets its juice once the juice has been to the gauge.  I'd start by making sure that I had continuity by taking the wire at the sensor, removing it and securing it to the bike and then start shaking the other parts, (gauge, j-box, etc.) so see if I could make it happen again.  It may be the sensor itself.  See if you can get continuity through the sensor by shaking it.


2006 ZG1000 "The Blue Monster"

Offline fred-houston

  • Arena
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 39
  • Country: us
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2012, 01:43:01 AM »
I was out of town for two weeks for work and the first thing I did today when I got back was hop on the bike for a 200 mile stretch. I noticed that while going at highway speeds, my temp gauge was not moving at all. It was standing still as if the bike was shut down. The moment I stopped at a light, it started jolting all over the place. It went from cold, to 1/4 to 1/2 temp, back down, etc. It was not smooth transitioning either. Any idea of what could be going on?

A few months ago, I did a coolant flush ANS all was well. Would it be time to replace the thermostat? Fwiw, it's a 95 c-10 with 59k miles on it.

Must be a Texas thing because mine started doing exactly the same thing last fall.  I have checked and the bike is definitely not overheating, so I figure it must be a sensor or loose wire.  I did pull and clean the wire on the sensor by the thermostat and for a while it cleared up.  I noticed on my last couple of rides it started jumping around again.  Matter of fact I can be sitting at a traffic light and rev my engine and the gauge will move.

If you find the problem definitely let me know.

Thanks
« Last Edit: March 17, 2012, 06:29:06 AM by fred-houston »
2001 BMW R1150GS
1999 C-10 (Semi Naked) EFI

Offline T Cro ®

  • Administrator
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1743
  • Country: us
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2012, 04:37:27 AM »
Check for a loose wire and/or connector.... I've seen where the little rivet that holds the metal tab to the sender gets a little loose with age, this can cause a goofy reading. If you find it loose you might have luck with peening it tightly again with a couple careful taps of the hammer with a properly sized punch.
Tony P. Crochet
(SOLD) 01 Concours Winner of COG Most Modified in 2010

Offline Nosmo

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 254
  • Country: us
  • "We're all in this together." - Red Green
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2012, 05:44:15 AM »
Also check the wire terminal connections on the back of the gauge.  You need to pull the instrument panel out to do that.  I had this same problem some time ago and found those wire terminals and screws loose and rusty.  If you remove the screws to clean the terminals, don't take all three out at once, as they also attach the gauge to the panel, and it will come loose and shift around inside.  Just take off one at a time to clean them if needed.
A life undreamed is a waste.  A dream unlived is a sin.

Offline fred-houston

  • Arena
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 39
  • Country: us
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2012, 06:27:35 AM »
Check for a loose wire and/or connector.... I've seen where the little rivet that holds the metal tab to the sender gets a little loose with age, this can cause a goofy reading. If you find it loose you might have luck with peening it tightly again with a couple careful taps of the hammer with a properly sized punch.

Is the "sender" the sensor that is by the thermostat?  If so, that is what I checked and everything appears to be OK.  I guess my next step is checking behind the gauge.  I am sort of kicking myself in the butt, because I was just at the instrument panel when I installed my HID driving lights.  I should have checked it then, but I forgot about the gauge acting up.

Are there any other sensors between the gauge and the sensor on the thermostat?

Thanks
2001 BMW R1150GS
1999 C-10 (Semi Naked) EFI

Offline T Cro ®

  • Administrator
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1743
  • Country: us
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2012, 07:59:16 AM »
Yes by the T-Stat....

No... The only other temp related item is the fan switch which is on the left side of the rad but that has nothing to do with the gauge.
Tony P. Crochet
(SOLD) 01 Concours Winner of COG Most Modified in 2010

Offline Texanrider

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 60
  • Country: us
  • There's no excuse for what I am about to do...
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2012, 07:02:17 AM »
Thanks fellas. I'll have to dig into the bike and look at the T-stat sensor mentioned. A few weeks ago, I was replacing my speedo cable so I took the time to clean out the back of the instrument panel with a wire brush on all terminals so I know that the connections on the gauge itself are not the issue. I'll report back any findings.

Thanks!
Nelson
09 Boulevard C50
95 Kawasaki Concours


Offline Texanrider

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 60
  • Country: us
  • There's no excuse for what I am about to do...
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2012, 05:40:46 PM »
T Cro, is this the sensor that you are referring to? If so, it does wiggle a little bit. Definitely not enough to lose contact, but it wiggles nontheless. I wonder if tapping it with a punch and hammer would do it. If not, would soldering be an option?


09 Boulevard C50
95 Kawasaki Concours


Offline Outback_Jon

  • Arena
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 427
  • Country: us
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2012, 06:38:11 PM »
T Cro, is this the sensor that you are referring to? If so, it does wiggle a little bit. Definitely not enough to lose contact, but it wiggles nontheless. I wonder if tapping it with a punch and hammer would do it. If not, would soldering be an option?
To answer your three questions:  Yes, yes, and yes.

Although be careful with the soldering, as too much heat for too long will likely damage the sensor.
"Outback Jon" Gould *** South Cairo, NY *** COG #9506 *** 2006 C10 "Blueline" *** CDA #0157

Offline Texanrider

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 60
  • Country: us
  • There's no excuse for what I am about to do...
Re: Temp gauge acting up
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2012, 08:46:53 PM »
Just wanted to report back.

I was able to punch the connector back in place with 2-3 "solid" taps with a hammer. I used a 3/32" punch to do so. When that was done, the connector felt solid with absolutely no play to it. I hooked up the gas tank after that and gave it a try. With the bike parked in the garage, the temp gauge reacted smoothly as it should. The fan kicked on when the gauge was 3/4 of the way to the right.

Yesterday I took her out on the open highway for 40 miles of 70 mph and the gauge stayed just above the white block and moved smoothly. While stopping at a light, it smoothly increased in temp like normal.

Thank you all for your input as it fixed this issue. Great knowledge on this forum!

Ride safe,
Nelson
09 Boulevard C50
95 Kawasaki Concours