Gauges are doing wierd things

Asked by hankster58 Mar 28, 2018 at 04:35 PM about the 1999 Ford F-150 XLT Extended Cab Stepside SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My water temperature gauge reads half when the truck has been sitting for a
week.  it has become harder to start, then runs great.  Took off ground strap
from intake to firewall and cleaned, now oil and water idiot lights are on??  oil
pressure gauge still reading properly but water is still reading wrong than as  
it heats up in goes to max hot even though it isn't.  My truck has a 4.2l
engine. Please help I don't understand these vehicles with all these sensers

2 Answers

39,175

it sat for a week , has it sat for any other amount of time ? mice get in there and chew on wire insulation , even the small amount of grease they use , there could be other grounding issues else where ,

73,550

If the gauge does not return to the lowest setting when the engine has been sitting, and is obviously cold, it could be a problem with the gauge. However, if several of your gauges are acting erratic, I would recommend you have the vehicle checked out by a mechanic who can read live data. It could be a problem with the PCM.

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