94 dx d15b7 130k; I bought the car as is with this issue.

The temp gauge is reading High/Hot but doesn’t pass into the red.. And Doesn't go all the way back down when the car is off or cold.

I've changed the thermostat, its gasket, thermoswitch (on the Thermostat housing). I’ve also checked the fan by jumping it with a paper clip, so I know the fan works. I’ve also unplugged the gauge cluster and plugged it back in to see if it would reset.

Q.
I’m left with checking the actual temp sensor that goes into the head/block. I know it’s located under the distributor. But I’m not sure how or if it can be cleaned/replaced.

Another thing I don’t know is, When the car runs hot will it pass into the red section or just hit the line and stop? I don’t want to run the car hot or have it over heat Any advice will help. Thanks for your time.

Pics are when the car is off COLD START;2nd pic is Warm after a drive. It doesn't get much hotter then that, when I get on the throttle it may raise close to the line but never goes into the red..

 

Doing some more research I found it could also be a coolant sensor. But that doesn't explain why the temp gauge doesn't go down all the way when the car is off.

 

The only thing I can think of regarding the gauge not being correct is that the gauge itself needs to be replaced. Maybe the temp gauge stuff just needs to be replaced? I am sure you can swap it out of needed. Civic clusters without a tach are a dime a dozen.

If you were overheating, I have a feeling that a CEL would come on once you hit a certain temp.

If the gauge itself is broken, that would also explain why the temp gauge is reading high when the car is warmed up, too.

 

Sounds like the gauge is bad. Someone may have pulled the needle off to put in a custom dash overlay and then put it back on wrong.

If you were to unplug the sensor, and turn the key on, the gauge should stay at C or below. If it doesn't do that, it is bad. The sensor wouldn't have anything to do with it since it's now unplugged.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Is it safe to pull the sensor and test the cluster like that?

 

Should not be a problem pulling harness off the sensor.

 

Yes it is safe to test by unplugging the sensor. The only thing that particular sensor does is drive the gauge on the dash.

The sensor is screwed into the engine below the distributor. It is the one near the back that has one wire.

 

When I unplug the sensor on the block and start the car, it stayed where its at. Just like the photo. It even moved up more a slight bit. When I shut off the car it when back to where it is in the photo.

I'm going to locate a cluster once I get time.

 

Yep it was the cluster.

Thanks for the help.