Vx Temp Gauge going A-wall

[VryNeat]

the temp gauge in my vx will sit below half then jet straight up to hot and slowly creep its way back down just to shoot up again. I've noticed the radiator could do with a replacement due to a rust build up on the cap but could it also have something to do with my temp sensor?

 

[MikeCuzzy]

I had this exact problem today!

Turns out the radiator was low on water, like 3L missing low. Basically the water was sloshing around so the sensor was reading water at like 100* or so like normal, I'd brake or something then it was reading steam rather than water so it would shoot up rapidly. Wait till the engine is cold, like in the morning, then see how much water is actually in it. The engine wasn't actually over heating, I would have smelled that.

 

[VryNeat]

I think my radiator needs a good flush coz mine is actually over heating over flow tank bubbling kind of over heating.
Also something else happened when running on gas the other night as i was driving down the highway and the car started to jerk as i accelerated then after proceeding to drive i lost all revs and the car sat at 60ks and wouldnt let me accelerate then after negoiating a corner i realized my power steering had just stopped so i pulled the car over turned it off and on and all was sweet again. Clogged injectors could add up to the spluttering but not the loss of my power steering as far as im aware? I think shes in desperate need of a good quality service and gas tune got yellow stickered last night for my tyres and the rude bitch says since were coming up to xmas and all i thought id be nice and give u up until xmas eve to do it 8 days she gave me when she could of given me 30 how kind of her! Looks like its gonna be a bad xmas this year

 

[MikeCuzzy]

Bugger, mine was an easy fix, sounds like yours won't be.

And yeah I think one mother of a service sounds a good plan. And I'd agree the injectors bear no relationship with the power steering... at all so far as I am aware. Sucks about the tyres though, you'd think she'd give you till after xmas, with xmas coming up!

 

[VryNeat]

Yeah quite unfortunate but thems the brakes i guess will rip the thermostat out this weekend and replace it and give the radiator a good flush from all the gunk i just fear this service is gonna cost me upwards of 800 bucks since its 5000ks over due for the 120k service

 

[MikeCuzzy]

I know how that feels, believe me, my VT's got 434,xxx km. A "cheap" service is anything around $500. My next ones going to be a fortune though needs a major overhaul, and a gearbox service...

 

[VryNeat]

Yeah my box needs doing my diff my radiator the standard service then what ever the #### they find wrong with it woopie

 

[MikeCuzzy]

Woohoo! Gotta love old cars. I'm gonna put off doing the rear shocks... if I can. Don't really want that expense this time as well.

Hopefully yours won't be too bad this time.

 

[schrinky]

it may also being a jammed thermostat, i had a similar issue and it was heating the water up in the block so much that it would open the thermo to late and all the water would hit the overflow tank and just evaporate, therefore leaving me with no water in my radiator and a temp of 130...

 

[VryNeat]

ahhhhh that makes sense as well with how the gauge goes up and down coz itd be heating up then just dumping that excessively hot water straight away dropping the temp rather rapidly am i right?