Heat Gauge Not Working

[chimleic]

This morning my engine heat gauge decided to not bother working. After a brisk run into work, my engine was apparently still cold.

Does anyone have any experience with this fault? Likely culprit? Where to look & what to fix/replace?

With the current weather I really can't risk long runs in the car without knowing the engine temperature!

Cheers,
Andy

[Chris Smith]

Yes! I had this once. The sensor is tucked away right down behind the distributor and is a right pig to get to. You can just get a pair of long thin pliers down there to take off the spade terminal. Touch the terminal against earth and if the gauge goes up to full temperature, your sensor is faulty. Hope it is this! If the guage doesn't move, its the gauge or the wiring from the terminal to the guage.
You could just try wiggling the terminal and see if that helps.
The other alternative is to wait - mine started working again on a long journey, then stopped again briefly and then has worked fine again ever since!
Hope this helps.