ECT Sensor or guage?

[02ViperTodd]

Hi All,
Coming home from work yesterday I noticed my Temp guage all of a sudden jump to full scale . I started the heater as I was only a couple miles from home and didn't think the motor was actually running that hot. I had no warning lights or anything out of the ordinary.

I got home and let the car cool down a few hours. When I went to start it the guage pegged again. I noticed that with everything off the guage is reading about 190 degrees. With the ignition ON but motor not running the guage goes to F/S. I don't remember if, normally, this guage goes all the way to the left when off.

I consulted the manual and know how to diagnose (I think), but would these clues leave you to believe the problem is the guage itself?

Thanks,
Todd

 

[Sweet Ride]

Take an IR thermometer and check the temps at the radiator, hoses, and t-stat housing. This should get you pretty close to knowing what the actual temp is. From there, follow the diagnostic routines in the manual. My guage goes all the way to the left when the car is off.