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Q: Temperature sensor

asked by on March 20, 2017

Got 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo ls. Drove not only but mile or two and the temperature gauge dropped all the way down to cold. The instrument panel then said engine hot AC off. Pulled over. Engine Wasnt hot. Definitely Wasnt overheating. Took back to dealer (was test driving) and he plugged it into the little diagnostic computer thing. It said thermostat. He replaced it. Meanwhile I googled it and seen this happens alot. In GMs and people had a lot of different answers. Well he fixed thermostat and it was fine. Bought car and drove for 2-3 days and it did same thing. He said he would try to figure out what's wrong but I'm hoping we can find real answer real quick. Didn't buy a car to keep having it taken away to figure it out. Have alot of important appointments this week where I have to travel 3 hours away for one and need quick fix

My car has 120000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi There, It sounds like you may have a faulty coolant temperature sensor which may be providing a false reading to the temperature gauge. When the car is cold, it relies heavily on the engine coolant temperature sensor. If the coolant level is low, the coolant temperature sensor can send false information to the computer, causing a hard start or cold start poor running condition. When this senor is faulty, you may experience conflicting readings related to your temperature as you describe. I would suggest having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.

Chevrolet
2006
V6-3.5L
Monte Carlo
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