Temperature guage on car going up and down.

fluffy37, Jan 31, 11:40pm
the temperature guage on my car goes up when it idles and then down while I am driving. Any thoughts what it could be!

pandai, Jan 31, 11:47pm
Maybe your radiator fan is not working properly.

What is the car!

Get this sorted soon, or you will have issues with the head.

johnf_456, Jan 31, 11:55pm
^done any recent work to radiator lately!
Coolant loose!
cap leaking!
fan working!

More information please.

morrisjvan, Feb 2, 1:50am
temp goes up when idling as less air thru radiator and less circulation ,due to decreased revs ,when it starts to move the water circulates quicker and motor cools down. So unless it is exessivley hot in a short space of time when idling i would say it's o.k.

johnf_456, Feb 2, 1:52am
Heard of a thing called a thermostat / electric fan that comes on auto when hot.

intrade, Feb 2, 1:55am
the question is how much up and down as it gets hot the fan kicks in and it goes down again then up again so that would be normal. most car temps go up and down from 3/4 to just above 1/2

morrisjvan, Feb 2, 3:42am
yes i have but i have no idea if the affected vehicle has one or not,is it a '92 nissan or a '48 austin !

richardmayes, Feb 2, 4:18am
A little movement like you have described is not uncommon, as others have said the radiator cools the engine more efficiently whilethe car is moving because of the natural flow of air over the radiator. But this would normally only be a slight up and down, within the "normal" temperature zone on the gauge.

If it is anything more than a little movement , and especially if the temp gets up to (or near to) the HOT zone, replace the thermostat and see if the symptom goes away. There are other possible causes e.g. faulty electric fans, but a $17 thermostat is a good place to start. and thermostat is the most likely culprit in any event.

And it's a temperature gauge. Gauge. Not a guage.

jay.da, Feb 2, 4:20am
my falcon use to do that tho the head gasket had blown on it.

kiwitrader43, Mar 1, 2:51pm
Check the water level immediately.