temperature gauge stopped working

Could mean the coolant temperature sensor-get the computer scanned at Autozone its a free service to find out what's causing it to pop the CEL

Engine Cooling problem
2001 Chevy Malibu 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 80k miles

Year: 2001
Model: Malibu
Engine Size: 3.1L Sti V6 'Good ol reliable' lol
Auto/Manual: Auto
Mileage: ~125,000kms

Hi everyone!! First post on this site and I hope theres some people still on this thing.....and im sorry but I am going to rant!!!

I bought this car 9 months ago and it seemed ok (i didnt know much about mech's at the time) lets just say i had no idea of the car being the ultimate lemon in north american (i flushed out that beautiful dexcool in the dark trying to save my gaskets after reading about it lol)

Anyways about 2 months ago whilist on a two hour long journey my temp gauge died, didnt make a sound....just stoped, stuck at stone cold....on a hot day.

Engine check light goes on next day whilist making the hours back home and this makes me nervous as i had overheating prblms on the really hot days when stuck in slow traffic and my cooling system would bleed out the surge tank saftey hose.

Ok so I read a haynes manual and it tells me that the 'Coolant temperature sensor' is responsible for the HUD gauge and for the ECM and tells the ECM when to turn on my fans. Big job for a sensor.

I bought a new sensor and just before i change it....... ITS WORKING ?????????????
but not for long....it dies in a couple days again

So screw it, i got a deep socket and changed the sensor myself (in the canadian tire parking lot lol) .........turn the car on and the gauge works for like a second barely making it a quater way up.... and drops and dies again.....engine check light still on even after i unplugged negative battery cable for a few mins.
This is funny overheating in summer and now underheating in winter sigh*

So thats my problem
-Temp Gauge no worky
-Bad (meaning worse) gas milage
-Heater works but barely
-Engine fans always on

any ideas people? help woud be very much appreciated

Is there a leak in the cooling system? Have you had it scanned for codes?

temp gauge just stopped working

Check the temp sending unit.

Hello,

Just recently the temperature gauge in my wifes car stopped working. I checked the owners manuel to see if there was a fuse for the temperature gauge. There was not. All the rest of the gauges are working in the instrument panel. Can you please offer me an suggestions as to why only the temperature gauge just stopped working. I'm asking with the free question because I'm unemployed and low on money. I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you very much for your time and assistance.

Do you have a check engine light? Could be the coolant temperature sensor out of calibration -also check the wiring

There is a check engine light but it has not come on. I also noticed that the electronic engine fan seems to run all the time when the car is running. Could this be connected to the non working temperature gauge some how? Thanks for your earlier quick response.

the auto headlights and the gas gauge and temp gauge power windows and heater controls have stopped working tried everything

the common denominator is the bcm or body control module. have it scanned for codes.

what is everything you checked????

Roy

fuses, relays wires they all checked out fine

my check engine came on. a few weeks later my gas and temp gauge stop working. now the temp gauge will beep and orange light will come on letting me know car is running hot. all fluids have been checked and at right level. also, on driver side front tire seem to have a buring smell. new tires, new brakes, now it seem to sqeak and weird noise when i hit a bump like some it going to fall off.

have coolant system pressure checked for internal leaks. check coolant level. have brakes checked for a frozen caliper.

My 2001 Malibu gives a trouble code readout of PO 128, which according to the definition given on your website means "ECT Below Thermostat Regulating Temperature". The "Check Engine" light is on and the temperature gauge is not working. Does this mean that there is a problem with the thermostat or simply that the engine coolant temperature sending unit is not working? Thanks.

Most of the time with that code I would say bad thermostat but you said the temp gauge is inop.So I would first look at why the temp gauge is inop.Check the wires and connector to it.Do you have. Multi meter to do some testing?

Please help. The Power Windows, Fuel Gauge, Engine Temperature Gauge, Climate Control, and Turn Signals periodically wont work. The power windows, fuel gauge, engine temperature gauge, and climate control all stop working simultaneously (which is right when the car starts, they have never stopped working during operation of the vehicle). Those 4 Electrical problems always happen together and have never happened separately. Plus, the turn signals go out while driving then will sometimes start working if, I hold down the emergency flashers button while messing with the turn signal control. Thank you in advance!

Welcome to the forum, you need to do some testing when the problem occurs. I believe the circuits you mentioned, go hot, when you turn on the key. I'd have to check circuits to and from the ignition switch, possible problem with the ignition switch? The power windows have a circuit breaker, pull the circuit breaker, key on, use a test lite on the circuit, should be hot. If it isn't, backtrack the circuit.

1998 Chevy Malibu
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my high beam indecator light will not work, the bulb is not burned out, also the gas gauge and temp. gauge does not work what can it be we replaced the engine and now have these problems

could be if you missed a ground somewhere. i would take it to your dealer, they can hook it up to a tech 2 and turn the light and gauges on to see if they are getting communication. then you will know if there is a wiring issue or a cluster issue.

the fuel gauge and temp gauge went out simultaneously on my chevy Malibu 2001. the fuses are all good wondering what would effect both of them at the same time. my car has also been overheating so I really need the temp gauge.

With Both Them.At The Same Time Going Out.Could.Be a Bad.Bcm I Would.Have It Scanned For Codes With A Professional Scan.Took.That CAn Read All.The Computers And Codes Not Just The Engine And Transmission Computers.Let Me Know The ExactcCode Numbers Not Code DescripIons.

Hi,
When i start my malibu and dive it my temperature gauge will go up to 2/3 wich is to hot, after it hits the 2/3 it will go right back down to the normal 1/2 way mark while its going up i have very little to no heat coming out of my fan.
i recently had my thermostat changed because of simmilair issues and it was working fine for about 3 weeks, now its acting up again.
I watcehd my mechanic change the thermostat and he did "burp" the system and all tht.what is probably the cause of this ?? the ca has about 200000 km on it

needs burping again? are you losing any coolant? gauge readings+loss of heat indicates low coolant/air in system.you may have gasket problem on intake or head or a leak somewhere else?

I don't seem to be loosing any coolant, im gonna double check tho and I checked for the common signs of a head gasket problem ( dirty oil white smoke etc) and thts all fine. Could it have anything to do with the thermostat tht got replaced like I said it was doing great up untill after 3 weeks I had it replaced I apreciate the response

allright i double checked and there was some coolant gone, i topped it up and drove it and the temperature kept around the halfway mark, still moving up and down but no overheating. i guess i have a leak somewhere eh, so if anyone has to guess where would it be i know the malibu is known for this problem, i did check the oil and stuff again and its clean, the car isnt skipping a beat or nothing so i think (hope) we can rule out the head gasket, also would it be wise to add a liquid sealer maybe to the coolant ??

drive it some more and keep checkin coolant and fillin to see if it continues to lose it. get under hood when hot and see if there's a coolant smell.

Hello again,
Ok ive kept filling it allthough there was hardly any if at all coolant missing and when hot i smelled nothing under the hood or in the car , another weird thing happened though i was driving it yesterday on my way to town the temperature gauge was doing its funky thing again, i could feel cold air flowing so i knew it was going up, but this time it whent all the way up till the overheat light came on, i pulled off the highway and stopped the car immediately and popped the hood, when i opened it i was expecting a lot of heat coming towards me but this wasnt the case, i could touch the engine it was warm but not hot it was warm as to be expected from a 15 minute drive, i squeezed the radiatore hose and again it was warm but not burning hot as to be expected from an overheated engine.
I brought it in to my mechanic shop and he looked and try to figure out wat the problem was. He couldnt tell me he said it might be the head gasket still but he said then the engine would feel a lot hotter.... i dont even know what it could be its a mystery to me, and any help is apreciated a lot. Thanks in advance !! also the gauge seems to be moving more when i have the hot air blowing then when i have the colder air going

While driving on the freeway, I noticed my temperature gauge dropped to zero. I pulled off and checked my fluid, fans, and belt and all were okay. When i turned it back on, i noticed the gauge would rise slightly and drop back to zero. This happened several times.

When i got to my destination, I used my remote to lock my doors and, although the doors lock and unlock, the horn stopped reporting and the lights did not flash.

On my way home, i noticed that the gauge started working properly. After i shut of the car and remotely locked it, the lights and horn began to work during remote lock/unlock.

I believe there might be a bad connection,maybe, but where would i look that would have both the temperature gauge and remote locking system in common? Computer?

Hello,

I would try to remove the cluster and unplug the main connector and then re-plug it in to help with any bad connections first. The stepper motor on GM gauges sometimes go out which will mean you will need to replace the motor or get a rebuilt cluster.

Here is the motor

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PXAUGC/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=2carprcom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004PXAUGC&linkId=d06d317353703d59082360ef2c578c7b

here is a video of a GM cluster getting removed.

https://youtu.be/_HEC44xENxw

I don't think it is a temperature sender becasue the check engine light would be on in most cases.

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken

Thanks for the help.

I am not one for coincidences when working with components on a car. That is why I asked. When 2 apparently different circuits fail at roughly the same time, and then without warning, begin working at roughly the same time, I begin to look to see if/what they have in common.

I've been driving my car for almost 3 days now without a failure, so diagnosis is rough and the schematics in my Haynes manual are next to useless.

Thanks for the help and maybe if it begins to fail again, I'll try your suggestions!

Keep up with the good work!

Please let us know what you find so it will help others.

Cheers, Ken

Hello i have a 2001 chevy malibu v6 3100 engine check engine light came on and temp gauge stoped working the cooling fans come on and stay on as soon as i start the car i replaced the temp sencor and it does the samething any ideas?
Thanks
Dan

Hi:
Did you have the computer scanned for trouble codes? If not, go to a nationally recognized parts store and have it done. Most of these places do it for free.

See what is causing the light to be on, and let me kno what you find. Also, Dan, was it the temp sending unit you replaced?

Joe

Yes they had it scanned and they said code was bad sending unit changed it and it made no difference
Thanks
Dan

Dan:
It sounds like a short or a problem with the Body Control Module (BCM). Just for the heck of it, try to follow the wire from the sending unit back to the firewall. Make sure there is no damage done to the wire.

Let me know what you find.

Joe

my heat gauge keeps going out on me and i have to disconnect the battery everytime it does this so it will work again

Have the computer scan for code/s though there's none popping up-coud lead you somewhere or you can inspect and test the coolant temperature sensor and its wiring