1999 Chrysler Cirrus Temperature gauge out of whack

MATHPROF83

MEMBER
1999 CHRYSLER CIRRUS
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
140,000 MILES

Took car to shop when temperature gauge went to red, but car still ran fine and they said there was no problem (but fixed other problems). Temperature gauge will still go to red at times, but then will shoot back down and then up and then down, and car runs very well. Again, shop didn't notice anything wrong, and coolant container and reservoir are full of proper coolant. The RPM meter on the dash does not work properly either and not long ago, the spedometer shut down but then started working again. What should I ask at the shop if I take it back? Does this seem serious especially since the car runs so well?

2 Replies

ZACKMAN

MECHANIC
4,202 POSTS

It is quite possible that you may have problem with the gauge itself, or with the engine coolant temperature sensor. It is located close to the thermostat housing. The sensor costs about $30 (depending on localities) and 10 minutes to fix. That will be the easier and less expensive fix.

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Thursday, March 19th, 2009 AT 12:47 AM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

What exactly is a "whack"? :)

With so many different things acting up at different times, I'd suggest pulling out the instrument cluster and looking at the connector pins. If any are loose, they can be soldered to the copper circuits. These clusters gave a lot of trouble too, so a trip to the dealer might be in order. Having yours sent out by them for repair might be less expensive than buying a new or rebuilt one.

Caradiodoc

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Monday, March 23rd, 2009 AT 4:13 AM