Chevella

Hello all,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I bought this 2002 V6 automatic in September 2012 (my first car purchase ever; my dad wanted me to get a Prius!). $5800, 80k miles on it. Felt it was a pretty good buy; I don't drive very much.

It has some of the "usual" issues that my car-guy uncle was able to tell me about like the lifters grinding a bit, but one thing I haven't been able to figure out is the thread title.

Last year in around December, and now this year again in November, the temp gauge stopped working and it just stayed below 100; needle all the way to the left. Then, this year in March or so, it suddenly just started working again at random. I am figuring this is something due to the cold weather starting here (in Wisconsin).

Things I've done already: my dad and I thought it was a temp sensor issue, so I replaced that with 192 degree-rated one last year in April or so after the gauge was already working. But I guess either it blew itself out again or the issue was something else.

Any of you folks got some ideas about what might be causing this? I haven't asked the dealer or any garage about it yet because I don't really know too much about cars and I'd rather be armed with a bit of knowledge. I'm going to be replacing the transmission and rear differential fluid this spring though; so I'm trying to learn a bit!

FU_I_AM_UltraZ

iTrader: (20)

prob a bad ground. i would check the sensor. from 99-02 they removed the additional sensor that was on the radiator. my 98 ta has real life readings on my gauge cluster... but my 02 Z gradually goes up to 212 bc its programmed/fixed to do so. but it has a 160 t stat and fans to stay on at all times like my t/a which sitting or driving never goes near 180* I think your sensor on the cylinder head is iffy and its staying stuck there. just electronically not working. otherwise you would know if you were over heating etc. bc it would be running like ****.

Chevella

Thanks for the info! A sensor replacement doesn't sound like it'd be too expensive...is there a database here on this website of diagrams and charts that show where that might be, or the precise name it would have so I can search for its location in the car and replacement price?

FU_I_AM_UltraZ

iTrader: (20)

the temp sensor should be located on the side of one of the heads. LSX cars is driver side head by piston 1. just look at your stock ex manifolds on both sides for a sensor sticking out.

Chevella

Okay then I think I just have one last question. Thank you for the help UltraZ. Do you recommend only the original GM stock parts or will this $17 duralast sensor do the trick?

And lastly I found this other thread here on LS1 showing the location on a 3rd gen in a picture...that should be fairly similar for me too then? The description on that picture seems to match what you told me.

Do you think I should buy some sort of paste or lubricant or something too for the threads? I've heard other people in forums talking about that.

FU_I_AM_UltraZ

iTrader: (20)

i have used dura junk on my ta. its fine. it might be the temp sensor above your water pump. i can't remember if these had 1 or 2 temp sensors.

Chevella

It gets dark so early I was rooting around out there for about an hour, saw a lot of potential items but nothing that actually looks like the sensor I just bought. Here are two shots of the engine compartment area.

http://imgur.com/BPauCVU&i7hWBbZ#0

In the second one, I thought it might be the one there because it's almost in the right place for a sensor the service manual says is part 213-928, which looks just like my new sensor. But it's totally wrapped in that plastic sheath; is that normal?

Also it doesn't match what you said about it being next to the 1st piston? That first picture is my last-ditch attempt to hope that it can be pointed out to me; I felt around between piston 1 and 2 like this picture here shows, thinking it might be like this 1995 pictured, but I couldn't feel a wire or a sensor sticking out. Besides I'd have to be under the car to see that, right?

Chevella

Found the darn thing at last! Hidden underneath the air intake; I've been searching for threads with a picture of its location for weeks so I took a picture and uploaded it here in case other newbies have trouble finding it.

The hard part, though, is going to be getting at it. From the left side my wrench is blocked by the belt pressed almost right up against the hex nut; from the right side it's blocked by the upper coolant pipe. But at least I know where the silly thing is now.

LQ9-Muscle

Hey. If you still have problems check what I posted in another thread:

Alright. I last replied about getting a Tablet to cover over my interface but for those of you who do not want to rig that up I think I might have a idea to fix a sticky needle which is do what I posted on the other thread. This was my other thread post:

hey. know this is a old thread. just had my speedometer needle sticking becuz I put the BEM performance white face gauge overlay on my gauges. At the same time I was changing out my original V6 cluster to finally a V8 cluster assembly since I did a swap in '10. So I get everything hooked up and drive down the interstate and it was no way I could tolerate what happend. It would stay at 68mph when i'm going 78. so sporadically unresponsive. I couldn't rely on it at all. I took out the face part and THAT ONLY. the face had the stepper/pointer motor on it and the needles on the other side of it. You can just leave the rest of the cluster assembly "plugged in" the car. So I took out the stepper motor for the needle and compared it to the one I had in my original V6 Cluster with a multimeter. it had nearly the same ohms across the 4 points in comparison to the V8 speedo stepper motor. And the key thing that made this stepper motor not stick was that when you put the needle back on it with just the motor and needle in your hand, the needle spins so much more loose. Spins without any friction/resistance so I thought "hey thats what I need". Thought if anything, this stepper motor wouldn't cuz the needle to stick if spends so freely. So I used the V6 stepper motor in a V8 cluster and it works perfect. just go to junkyard and get even a V6 cluster face. Maybe even bring a ohm meter with you and just replace the stepper motor with one that spins more loose and has the same resistance over the 4 points.

...............Now, also do the following as well:
Take off the vinyl under the steering wheel by unscrewing the bolts, screws, vinyl clips etc. Find your the instruments panel's ground wire. It should be in the big fat loom of wiring harness going into/towards the instrument panel at the top to your right when your looking at your brake pedal. Now in that loom some where should be the ground wire. Now it gets tricky trying to find which one it is. Mine was a black/white one on my '98 Camaro. The 3 black/white ones I found was for traction control, seat belts, and finally the instrument panel ground. sounds crazy but you're just gonna have to cut one by one off until you see the one that you cut caused the gauges (especially the voltage gauge) to not work when you turn the ignition to on -not run. If you cut the traction control ground it will just turn off until you give its ground back and all is well. If you cut the seat belt one, the SRS/SIR will always see the seat belt is buckled when its not in contrary to taking away a ground (so maybe thats a good thing). So when you find the black with white tracer wire that disables the needles when you cut it, take the clusters end wire (the end that has no ground) and hook a 1000uf - 50000uf 25v-35v capacitor's positive side and take a 5-10ohm 1watt resistor and connect it across capacitors terminals, then lastly hook the capacitor's negative side to a good ground (away from power as possible). I just ordered a capacitor and I gonna hook it up like what I explained just as soon as it comes. It made a big improvement in needle movement when I experimented with a smaller capacitor.

BUT WAIT*
Since you got a '02 your instrument panel's logic ground wire's color is all black. Just anyway you can, get to this black wire with this picture and if you can hook everything up to this wire it should help.