1997 Toyota Corolla Temperature Guage Mulfunctioning?

ANROD69

MEMBER
1997 TOYOTA COROLLA
4 CYL
FWD
MANUAL
135,000 MILES

Hi, I have a problem with my temperature guage, during initial start, needle shoots up to the top (hihg sense) and after the engine heats up, temperature guage reading becomes normal. And sometimes while driving, the meter shows flactuation from normal to high. As I check my car cooling system, radiator fan and A/C Aux fan is working while radiator coolant level is still normal. Can I still drive my car in this state without any danger?

3 Replies

MMPRINCE4000

MECHANIC
8,549 POSTS

The problem is either the sending unit for the gauge or the gauge itself, since the needle should never go to full hot on a cold engine.

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Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 AT 5:22 AM

ANROD69

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Thanks for the advise, I have already checked the temp sensor as this is the one found to be defective but another problem was observed. This time, fluctuation of the temp was observed as I stop for a couple of minutes with an idle engine. As I drove back the street, temperature fluctuation again was observed. Reading will rise up and down and sometimes up to the red level of the meter and after a while, will be back to normal. My mechanic has advised me to have the radiator overhauled, but still the same problem was observed after doing so. What else do I need to check or replace to solve this problem?