Q about Temp Gauge

[sbushnak]

Good day all,

Well I have been searching for a gen3 or gen4 Camry since I wrecked my car. One thing is puzzling me.

In my 93 V6 and the 93 I4, the temperature gauge needle will be a little below normal after fully warmed up. I replaced the thermostat on my V6 with a Toyota OEM part and it was still the same. It never bothered me since I thought this was normal. I owned each car for about 2 years. Here’s a picture.


I have tested about 5 Gen 3 Camrys and the temperature needle was right at the middle, as this picture demonstrates.



My question is: Is this normal? Could aftermarket thermostats do this? 3 of the 5 cars I tested the heater was not giving out a lot of heat.

Thanks

[RichieRichJP]

My 5sfe runs right about there. Kind of in the middle of both of those needles actually

[Kep]

Theromostats usually have a temperature range of a few degrees so even two OEM ones might be a little different. A fairly easy check would be to get a direct temp gauge hooked up to your engine block. Or you could remove the thermostat and put it in hot water with a thermometer and see at what temperatures it opens and closes. I would not be surprised if an aftermarket one was even more different than the OEM.

The dashboard gauge itself might be off (you'll notice that they don't put actual temps on there.) It is a relative reading so as long as it is consistant the driver has a good idea if things are OK. My 95 Camry reads more like your top picture, slightly under half.

Kep

[dc_98_cam]

The component that controls the reading of the combination meter temperature gauge is called the Water Temperature Sender, labeled as part W2, on p. 30 of the Gen 3 wiring diagram. Chances are this part has aged a little ...and is not as correct as it used to be. You might buy a new one, or try a lower mileaged one from a salvage yard. It looks like it is easy to get to. The wiring schematic is shown on p. 236....yellow wire with a green stripe. It could be there is some sort of mineral buildup ... on the waterside of the sending unit.

[sbushnak]

Originally Posted by dc_98_cam

The component that controls the reading of the combination meter temperature gauge is called the Water Temperature Sender, labeled as part W2, on p. 30 of the Gen 3 wiring diagram. Chances are this part has aged a little ...and is not as correct as it used to be. You might buy a new one, or try a lower mileaged one from a salvage yard. It looks like it is easy to get to. The wiring schematic is shown on p. 236....yellow wire with a green stripe. It could be there is some sort of mineral buildup ... on the waterside of the sending unit.

Thanks. any other parts that can affect the temp reading?

[sbushnak]

Originally Posted by Kep

The dashboard gauge itself might be off (you'll notice that they don't put actual temps on there.) It is a relative reading so as long as it is consistant the driver has a good idea if things are OK. My 95 Camry reads more like your top picture, slightly under half.

Kep

only one car was not consistent. the needle was going up and down around the middle as I was driving.

[dc_98_cam]

Originally Posted by sbushnak

Thanks. any other parts that can affect the temp reading?

The sending unit is the important one. If you replace it with another one, and there is still a noticeable temperature difference on the dash gauge needle, then there is probably an actual water temperature deviation, caused by the thermostat, fans running constantly, or another system problem.

[Kep]

Harbor Freight Tools sells a small infra-red temperature gauge for about $10 on sale. I've never tried it but I would expect that you could aim it at the water manifold that the temp sensor is screwed into and it would give you the actual water temperature. It would be a quick confirmation of the accuracy and you could compare two engines quickly or calibrate a gauge.

Kep

[sbushnak]

thanks guys for the info.