Temperature Gauge troubleshooting

No...it means that you are a retard. Just sell that thing and get a real car!

This all needs to be done while the engine is cold

Find the temperature sending unit it will be slender and in most cases have a single wire attached, it can be located on the side of the block, water inlet close to the thermostat housing, on the head it self.

If your mini has an electric fan there will be a temperature switch close to the radiator and will usually have two wires attached.

If your car has an oil pressure gauge this will make it easier the oil sending unit will have a metal bulb with a wire on the end if it. This is not the temperature sending unit.

After you Find the wire to the temperature sending unit unplug the wire, roll the key to the on state if the gauge swings to the far right this will show the gauge working in an un-grounded state if the gauge does nothing, next take a test probe with a low current lamp in it, make sure it is a low current, some of the low current types use a .05ma LED in them

Using the test probe make a connection between the temp lead wire and the block lock at the gauge it should swing to about half

If all the above happened as described above use have a problem with the sending unit, clean the connection if this does not resolve the issue replace the temperature sending unit.

If the sending unit is located any where an air pocket can be created do not remove the radiator cap, this will cause a hot spot in the engine, this will result in you having to pressure bleed the cooling system forcing any trapped air out of the cooling system.

Hope this helps you out

Thought you were leaving the group? I guess you just like to talk.

Apart from ignoring the abuse from our friendly backwards/inbred Troll, exactly what year/model Mini do you have?

Taffy

I have an unknown vintage Mini. From all indications, it appears to be mid-80's, with a 1275 engine. It has a mechanical fan.

I've found the sending unit, and attached to it is a LightBlue/Green wire, which goes all the way back to the dashboard's wiring harness.

When I unplug the wire and KOEO, the temperature gauage does NOT move (needle down). (My gauge goes up and down, not left and right.) I've checked that the sending unit is putting up some resistance, but I can't remember how much.

So, you are saying if I short the temp wire to the block, with a low current test light acting as a resistor, my gauge should move half-way, correct?

Alon

Not here Not Now wrote:

Why don't you listen to your own advice? Are you just thick?

You don't know the vintage? Sounds like a lovely rust bucket.

There are resistance values which equal temperature on the gauge. So if you place a test light into the circuit then this acts as a resistor.

Someone must have these figures written down.

yes if the gauge is good it will move to about the center point

Yes the sending unit does act like a resistor it is actually a thermistor a temperature sensitive resistor.

You can take a ohm reading when the engine is cold it will read some value, start the engine and let it run a bit, take a new reading and you will see a change.

The value should decrease or increase depending on how the sending unit is matched to the gauge

The send unit is like a voltage divider with a temperature sensitive resistor to ground being the brass case of the sending unit

guage ------------v GND being the engine block

This should give you a real rough idea of the internal workings though there are no working parts with temperature the the material becomes less conductive or more conductive

Better get a tetanus shot then.

Obviously not.

Or...just get a better car, that works.

But surely not one of these unless of course you fancy a BBQ?

Barbecued taffy....tastes like shit, looks like shit.