Temp Gauge pegs out instantly
 

1994 Honda Accord , 144K --Temp guage pegs out about 1 minute after start up. It is not overheating....been driving it this way for a while, but my luck is going to run out. It does not appear that the fans are coming on at any time though if I jump the fan relay, they fire right up so I know they work. I've checked the fuses. I've replaced both temp sensors (one by the thermostat and one on the back of the engine passenger side) with known good ones from my neighbors 94 accord. (nice to have a neighbor with the same car eh?) The temp gauge still pegs out. I'm about to swallow my pride and take it to the dealer...any one got any ideas? Thanks.

RE: Temp Gauge pegs out instantly
 

unplug the wire at the sending unit,, located below the distributor.. start the car, if it stoped going to hot you got a bad sending unit.. if it still goes to hot you got either a bad gauge which i have seen a # of times or the wiring from sending unit to the gauge is pinched to a ground ,.

RE: Temp Gauge pegs out instantly
 

Rats. No luck with pulling the sending unit...it still rose to hot. It takes a minute when cold, when the enging warms up, the gauge just takes off. How do get into the gauge unit? Thanks for the help.

RE: Temp Gauge pegs out instantly
 

Hi, Mine does that too, 2002 accord se. The mechanic told me it's in the meter on the dash and the whole dash has to come out to replace it..... I'll keep on driving, jus check coolant level, fan ect regularly.

RE: Temp Gauge pegs out instantly
 

first off the whole dash does nt have to come out ,, only the instrument cluster ...
secondly it is very dangerous for the engine to drive around without a proper functional coolant temp gauge,, yeah you can chk for leaks, the fans BUT what if something stops working while you are driving ,,t-stat stuck close i have seen it numerous times,, a hose tearing and you lose coolant, you cannot chk the level while you drive and you will not know if engine overheats and gets ruined .. 200-400 dollars today could save you thousands tomorrow ..

Frombo..... fix that gauge ASAP.. the instrument cluster need to be removed to replace the gauge ..

RE: Temp Gauge pegs out instantly
 

my 86 prelude had that problem, mine turned out to be a clogged radiator.

RE: Temp Gauge pegs out instantly
 

Of all the things it could have been-- the gauge is my least favorie choice. I agreewith desert though--I'll replace that gauge.
I have been running on borrowed time for too long. Any tips or warnings on getting to that gauge? Thanks again for the help.

RE: Temp Gauge pegs out instantly
 

OK. It took awhile to get to it, but I dug into the gauge cluster and replaced the temp gauge. The result.....It works. Now I have security in knowing if I'm over heating. That's good news as we head into summer. DesertHonda...you are the Man. Thanks so much for the help.