i have a 68 cutlass with a 455 thats has an overheating problem(overheating by temp gauge reading).i haven't started the car in a few day an it been getting cold lately in pittsburgh(highs 51 lows 36).i looked at the temp gauge an noticed its at 135 -40 with car not started,the gauge came with the car.shouldn't it be at 100 or is that how they work?and would this make my temp reading 35 -40 degrees higher?here a pic of the gauge,cars been parked a few days

 

The needle should be resting on the stop when the engine is cold, looks like you have a bad gauge.

Roger.

 

+1.

That's why it's always good to be sure the gauge is accurate before fixing an "overheating" problem.

- Eric

 

Get a cheap infrared thermometer to check your gauges against. Great piece of mind to know they work right.

 

Probably the guage and or/sender system!! Simple fix!

 

Where it is when the car is not running and the ignition is off is not relevant as it requires power through the circuit to read properly. The question is, where does the gauge go when the car is cold and has just been started? If the needle does not drop immediately to the bottom of the scale when the ignition is on and the engine is cold, THEN you have a bad gauge. But I wouldn't throw the gauge out until this is confirmed.

 

thanks everybody i think harbor freight has those heat guns so i'm going to pick one up.
were the needle is at is were the temp reading starts,it doesn't drop to zero when the car is on.summit has a sale an there gauge is like $9 so im going to try it out.

 

Jaunty, I may be wrong, but I think it's a mechanical gauge.

- Eric

 

Good point! I was thinking it was electrical, like the warning light. My bad!

 

Lol!!!!