Water Temperature Gauge Reads High

[RobT]

I have a new Foton 404 (40 hp) from Rural King. Runs great and is really fun. I have about 6 hours on it.

My question concerns the water temperature gauge. As soon as I turn on the tractor, the gauge reads all the way the right--very hot. Now I know that is not right, because the tractor isn't even hot yet.

Any ideas on what I can do to get it to work right? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I'm not real knowledgeable of where things are hooked up and I'm not a mechanic. However, I am eager to learn and not afraid to take things apart--as long as I can get them back together again the right way.

Thank you,
Rob T.

 

[George2615]

Does the gauge stay to the right all the time or does it gradually move to the middle after the tractor runs for a while?
Is it possible the gauge is hooked up backwards? Usually there is a temp. sensor in the block that basically is a resistor. The resistance changes with temperature. In most cases the power goes to one terminal on the gauge then a wire comes off the second terminal on the gauge and runs to the sensor in the block. As the engine warms up, the resistance to ground changes which moves your temp. gauge.

 

[RobT]

George2615,

Yes, the gauge stays to the right all the time, even after the tractor is warmed up.

Can I just reverse the wires on the terminal to test our the theory of it being installed backward? Is there some "magic" that I need to know before doing this so I don't foul up something horribly?

Thank you for your help. This Web site and forum is fantastic.

 

[kyspartan]

i am going to say you may need to check all your ground wires. it looks to me that it may be just loosing ground on that gauge

 

[George2615]

If you can locate the temp. sensor in the block, unhook that wire. Turn on your key and check the gauge. If the gauge stays to the left then you have a bad temperature sensor. If the gauge stays to the right, check your wiring from that point back to the gauge to make sure it isn't shorting to ground. It is possible the wiring harness may have rested too close to a hot spot on the motor and burned through the wiring and shorted to ground. It works on the same principle as most gas tanks. If the gauge reads full all the time the wire running to the sending unit may be shorted to ground or the sending unit may be grounded somewhere. If the gauge worked originally then it must have been wired right to start with. Dont reverse the wires on the gauge. That could immediately ruin it if you did.

 

[RobT]

Jinmalover and George2615:

Thank you for the information and ways to check the gauge. I'll try those things tonight and let you know what I find out.

Thank you,
RobT.

 

[RobT]

Update to Water Temp Gauge Problem:

I checked out the wiring as suggested. The wire was pinched between the engine and a bracket. The wire was stripped bare there so I pried out the wire, added some electrical tape, tightened up the terminal, and it works great now!

Thank you for your help on this.

Rob T.