Electrical Problem While driving the check engine light will come on (not blink). Then I can see the the temperature gauge starts to oscillate ( as if the voltage to the gauge is changing). Next the gauge needle goes off ( complete cold) as if voltage to the temperature gauge is gone and the Service 4WD and Electronic Control Throttle lights come on. The car starts to run rough. If I pull over and turn off/on the ignition the lights are cleared (accept for check engine light) and the car runs normal. It happens about 20 minutes after I start driving. I've had the car to the dealer ( they kept it for a week and found nothing - no codes ) and to my mechanic who also could find nothing. Someone out there must have seen this, any words of wisdom are appreciated.

If the tail lights, low fuel light, temperature gauge, and fuel gauge are not working, there could be several possible causes:

1. Blown Fuses: Check the fuses for the tail lights, low fuel light, temperature gauge, and fuel gauge. If any of these fuses are blown, replace them with a new one.
2. Loose or damaged wiring: Inspect the wiring for the tail lights, low fuel light, temperature gauge, and fuel gauge. Look for any loose connections or damaged wires. Repair or replace any damaged wires and ensure all connections are tight.
3. Faulty sending units: The low fuel light and fuel gauge are connected to the fuel sending unit in the gas tank. The temperature gauge is connected to a temperature sending unit on the engine. Check these sending units for faults, and replace them if necessary.
4. Faulty instrument cluster: The instrument cluster itself could be faulty, causing the temperature and fuel gauges to not work. A qualified mechanic can test the instrument cluster to see if this is the issue.

It's also possible that the trike has a separate electrical system for the tail lights, and that this system is malfunctioning. A qualified mechanic can test the trike's electrical system to determine the cause of the issue.

Check the battery

Sounds like it may have blown a hose and you lost all the coolant. IT could also be that the puddle you drove through caused the head gasket to blow. At any rate, this is not going to be cheap.

check battery terminals and posts are shiny clean and tight. Check earth wire from battery is tight on the engine or block. Check for loose fusible link.. The problem Is the main power lead from the battery has an intermittent connection. If the battery is not off the shelf new but a friends new battery then have it load tested for a faulty bridge or cell

Your coolant temperature sensor is bad,it's screwed into engine by thermostat housing,easy to remove,just disconnect electrical connector and get wrench and remove.

Hi,

The overheating and lack of cabin heat both point to a failed engine thermostat which would be stuck closed. At the warm up stage, the coolant stays in the engine block to bring the engine to efficient operating temperature, then it opens and circulates the coolant through the radiator and heat core. If the thermostat is stuck closed, the engine will overheat, and coolant will never reach the heater core, and you will not get cabin heat.

Blinking oil light at idle which goes away during driving could be a low oil level, but may also be a drop in oil pressue. You could have a clogged oil fliter (at best) pickup tube, or a failing oil pump.

According to Autozone.com:

Because ECT (engine coolant temperature) sensor procedures vary depending upon their location, first locate the part. You may need to partially drain the engine coolant to prevent coolant spillage.

• Disconnect the negative battery cable.
• Unplug the ECT.
• Then, unscrew it.
• Reverse the removal procedures to install the new part.
• Connect the negative battery cable to the battery.

Related Parts:



Cooling Fan Switch
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Engine Temperature Sensor
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Temperature Switch
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Coolant Temperature Sensor

Fig. Remove the coolant temperature sensor
The coolant temperature gauge sensor is a temperature-variable resistor, or thermistor. As coolant temperature increases, the resistance of the sensor decreases or decreases, depending on the type of sensor.
A1 and A2 platforms use a different type of circuit that A3 vehicles. On A1 and A2 vehicles, the circuit is a "resistance to ground" type. A3 vehicles use a "variable voltage" type, where a voltage is supplied to the sensor. Because of the circuitry design on A3 vehicles, testing of the coolant temperature gauge is limited.
The engine coolant temperature gauge uses a heat sensitive sending unit to transmit an electrical signal to the gauge. The sending unit is a heat sensitive variable resistor that is located on or near to the cylinder head and threads into an engine coolant passage. The sensors are a Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) type. As the temperature increases, the electrical resistance of the sensor decreases. As the coolant temperature changes, so does the resistance of the sensor. The gauge is calibrated within the operating range of the sensor and interprets the resistance value to display the coolant temperature.
Beginning with model year 1994, the engine coolant gauge and the Engine Control Module (ECM) temperature sensors were combined into one sensor with 4 terminals. The basic operation remains the same in that their resistance decreases as the coolant temperature increases, however the actual resistance values of the 2 sensor circuits are different. The electrical connector of the 4-wire terminal sensor ( 1 and 2 ) is keyed to prevent improper connection of the sensor's electrical circuit.

Fig. Beginning with model year 1994, the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensors combined the sensors for the ECM and the gauge into one sensor-1997 2.8L V6 sensor shown

Fig. The electrical connector for the combined temperature sensors is keyed to avoid improperly connecting the sensor's wiring-1997 2.8L V6 connector shown

A faulty temperature sending unit. It should be located on or near the thermostat housing. If any of your gauges reads zero, the check gauges light will come on. Sometimes even if the fuel gauge gets too low, it will trigger the light. It may be the connection at the sending unit. It may have become loose so wiggle it and make sure it is securely connected to the sending unit. If the temp. gauge needle pegs at the top of the gauge, it means the sending unit has grounded out and is faulty. If it jumps, reads off or not at all it could be a faulty sender or a bad connection.

The "Check Gauges" light comes on when a reading from one of the sensors which controls the gauge cluster is out of spec, in other words, it should be accompanied by a low/high engine temperature, a low fuel warning, an oil pressure light, a coolant level light, or something similar.

If none of the other gauges show a problem while the "Check Gauges" light is illuminated, there may be an electrical fault which requires further diagnosis.

1st check the #4 fuse (10A) and #10 fuse (7.5A) on the 'under-dash' fuse block.
then #9 fuse (10A) on the 'engine bay' fuse block.

if the fuses are good, the gauge assembly has has "self-diagnostic" feature.

Self-diagnostic Procedure

The gauge assembly has a self-diagnosis function.
. The beeper drive circuit check
. The indicator drive circuit check
. The LCD segments check
. The gauges drive circuit check (speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, coolant temperature gauge)
. The communication line check (the coolant temperature signal line between the gauge and ECM/PCM)


Entering the Self-diagnosis Function:
1. Push and hold the trip/reset button.
2. Turn the lighting switch ON.
3. Turn the ignition switch ON (ll).
4. Within 5 sec., turn the lighting switch OFF, then ON and OFF again.
5. Within 5 sec., release the trip/reset button, then push and release the button four times repeatedly.

NOTE:
. While in the self-diagnosis mode, the dash lights brightness controller operates normally.
. While in the self-diagnosis mode, the trip/reset button is used to start the beeper drive circuit test and the gauge drive circuit check.
. lf the vehicle speed exceeds 1.2 mph (2 km/h) or the ignition switch is turned OFF, the self-diagnosis mode ends.

The Beeper Drive Circuit Check:
When entering the self-diagnosis mode, the beeper sounds five times.

The Indicator Drive Circuit Check:
When entering the self-diagnosis mode. the indicators lights (such as: Seat belt indicator light, Door/hatch indicator light, Brake system light. Charging system light, Low fuel indicator light, maintenance required light) blink.

The LCD Segment Check:
When entering the self-diagnosis mode, the odo/trip segment blinks five times.

The Gauge Drive Circuit Check:
When entering the self-diagnosis mode, the speedometer, the tachometer, the fuel gauge, and the coolant
temperature gauge needles go from the minimum position to maximum position, then return to the minimum position.
NOTE:
After the beeper stops sounding and the gauge needles return to the minimum position, pushing the trip/reset button, starts the beeper drive circuit check {one beep), and the gauge drive circuit check again.
The check cannot be started until the gauge needles return to the minimum position.

The Communication Line Gheck:
In the seif-diagnosis mode, after the odo/trip LCD segments check, the self-diagnosis starts the communication line check.
lf all segments comes on, the communication line is OK.
lf the word" Error" is indicated, there is a malfunction in the communication line between the gauge assembly, the multiplex control unit, and the ECM/PCM,

Ending the Self-diagnosis Function:
Turn the ignition switch OFF.

Note: lf the vehicle speed exceeds 1 .2 mph (2 km/h), the self-diagnosis function ends.
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If everything works correctly during the check, check your VSS (vehicle speed sensor)