Temperature Gauge

[oneblueleg]

Why does my temp gauge flit around wildly?
I posted that it went to red the other morning, but now it's doing it increasingly more often. It seems to be the first time I use the car in any one day... so going to work it flits around all over the place and on occasion flicks straight over to the stop at the red end of the scale. Then when I use it at lunchtime, and on the way home, it's fine...
When it's doing this, I can tap it, and sometimes that settles it temporarily...
Anyone know if it's most likely to be the sensor, the gauge itself, or what? I'm worried that one day it'll show red and it'll really mean it!

[Davenotouring]

It could be the Service Indicator Board batteries....these cause problems with the gauges.

Or it has been suggested that it could be a bad earth, and tightening the screws on the back of the cluster can cure it.

Replacing the SI board batteries is probably a good idea. You need to know what the engine coolant temp is!

[Geeman]

Mine does the same... flits across the gauge, even though the temp is fine. Sometimes it'll be fine, other times it'll just be flitting...

At least my Revcounter and MPG indicator are okay, my old convertible used to have the 'flitting' bug on the rev counter... now that WAS annoying!

It'll be the SI board batteries... *yawn* - Same old...

[oneblueleg]

It'll be the SI board batteries... *yawn* - Same old...

Thanks each... is that easy to do? please forgive my ignorance

[Geeman]

Never done it myself, so I couldn't help you there.

I think it's just a matter of soldering in a new pair of rechargeable batteries to replace the old ones... might be a little more complex than that though...

I wonder if you have to charge them up first before soldering them in...?