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1996 ES Temperature gauge
Hi All,
I recently bought a 96 ES 300, 175000 miles. At the time I bought it, the temperature gauge was not working. I found that the sending unit (near the thermostat) had been cracked off in the block. I was able to get it out and I installed a Duralast sensor from Autozone. When I turned on the car, the gauge immediately swung to max (engine was at 60F). The resistance of the sensor is .88 ohms at room temp. The cooling system seems to work as the car runs and warms up (Fan speeds up, heat works) but the gauge remains pinned at max. I pulled out the instrument cluster to see if there was something I could change but the needle is held in by a central pin and two electrical contacts - I did not see a way to calibrate. Someone previously had the cluster out to replace the backlights (airbag light was stuck on) but I cannot see anything obvious causing this issue. The needle sweeps down when the key is turned off, it is not mechanically stuck. I read a post about Duralast sensors being marginal so I bought an AC Delco sensor and tried that. I thought I was on to something because while the sensor had the same thread and connector, it was slightly larger (required a 13 MM rather than a 12 MM wrench). Resistance was similar to the duralast - .93 ohms at room temp. A lexus OEM site sells a sensor for $68. Any advice about the next thing I should try? |
Originally Posted by sf2130
(Post 7567577)
Hi All,
I recently bought a 96 ES 300, 175000 miles. At the time I bought it, the temperature gauge was not working. I found that the sending unit (near the thermostat) had been cracked off in the block. I was able to get it out and I installed a Duralast sensor from Autozone. When I turned on the car, the gauge immediately swung to max (engine was at 60F). The resistance of the sensor is .88 ohms at room temp. The cooling system seems to work as the car runs and warms up (Fan speeds up, heat works) but the gauge remains pinned at max. I pulled out the instrument cluster to see if there was something I could change but the needle is held in by a central pin and two electrical contacts - I did not see a way to calibrate. Someone previously had the cluster out to replace the backlights (airbag light was stuck on) but I cannot see anything obvious causing this issue. The needle sweeps down when the key is turned off, it is not mechanically stuck. I read a post about Duralast sensors being marginal so I bought an AC Delco sensor and tried that. I thought I was on to something because while the sensor had the same thread and connector, it was slightly larger (required a 13 MM rather than a 12 MM wrench). Resistance was similar to the duralast - .93 ohms at room temp. A lexus OEM site sells a sensor for $68. Any advice about the next thing I should try? Its not that expensive to start off with, and you can probably get it cheaper online at Seawell Lexus. There is also an extra discount for club members. Phil |
To test circuit integrity:
Disconnect the connector from the sending unit, turn the ignition switch ON and check that the gauge needle indicates COOL. Ground terminal on the wire harness side of the connector through a test light. Turn the ignition switch ON, and check that the bulb lights up and the gauge needle moves to the hot side. |
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