Sgt Thor Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Hey everyone, newbie here. I bought my first Comanche 2 weeks ago from a local dealership. 1986, 4x2, base model, v6 automatic in red. It's the 4th truck I've owned and already my favorite by far. However yesterday started something really weird and I'm stumped. While taking my daughter to school the temp light came on for about 30 seconds and then went out for about 10 seconds. It continued this until I got it home. 4 hours later I started her up and saw the light was off, so I drove it to work - approx 10 miles away. Halfway through the trip it started doing it again, all the way to work. I popped the hood and the rad cap was steaming and the reservoir was empty (which was weird because I distinctly remember it being full 2 weeks ago at the dealership). I figured I had a leak and asked my wife to bring me some antifreeze. A little before leaving work I filled it up with the antifreeze and the same thing happened at about the same amount of time. Today I was using it around the property and she was fine - multiple starts and stops, multiple trips from one end of the property to the other with no prob. When I was done I drove it to the gas station 1 mile down the road and the darn thing started doing it again. It's not a fluid issue - the reservoir is still full and there were no signs of leaking in the driveway. Anyone know what it could be? Thanks in advance. - Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I bet you anything it might have the gauge sensor instead of the one for the light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Thor Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 1 minute ago, eaglescout526 said: I bet you anything it might have the gauge sensor instead of the one for the light. What do you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 There’s two types of the temp and oil sensors. One is a sensor that is for the gauges and the other is a sender for the light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Thor Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 Gotcha. Do you think it's ok to drive until I get it fixed this weekend? If it's just a sensor I wouldn't think that would mess with the engine. She's running just fine... 4 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said: I bet you anything it might have the gauge sensor instead of the one for the light. What do you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acfortier Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 If you've had it for 2 weeks, and it just started doing this (assuming you were driving it in a similar fashion when the issue occurred), not sure if it'll be because you have the temp. sender (for an actual gauge) vs. temp. switch (for the light on the cluster). I'm not sure what symptoms they exhibit when they go bad, though, and they're probably cheap enough to replace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpnjake Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Ok so your confusion is in the clusters, there’s 2 basic styles with different variations one has a bunch of “Idiot lights” that just tell you when something is wrong, it sounds like that’s the one you have The other has actual gauges for everything, Here’s an example of each one. and to answer your question if it’s just the wrong sensor you should be ok to drive it, I’d just keep an eye out for steam or other signs of overheating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Thor Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 9 minutes ago, jpnjake said: Ok so your confusion is in the clusters, there’s 2 basic styles with different variations one has a bunch of “Idiot lights” that just tell you when something is wrong, it sounds like that’s the one you have The other has actual gauges for everything, Here’s an example of each one. and to answer your question if it’s just the wrong sensor you should be ok to drive it, I’d just keep an eye out for steam or other signs of overheating Yep- I've got the top one. And the light just comes on and off intermittently after a few miles. Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Thor Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 1 hour ago, acfortier said: If you've had it for 2 weeks, and it just started doing this (assuming you were driving it in a similar fashion when the issue occurred), not sure if it'll be because you have the temp. sender (for an actual gauge) vs. temp. switch (for the light on the cluster). I'm not sure what symptoms they exhibit when they go bad, though, and they're probably cheap enough to replace. What exactly would be the parts I'd need if I were to go to AutoZone? Just in case they're as clueless as I am... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ωhm Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Disconnect the wire from your Coolant Temperature Switch (CTS) and leave it disconnected. Drive it. If dash lamp still lights, then your problem is NOT with the CTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Thor Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 34 minutes ago, Ωhm said: Disconnect the wire from your Coolant Temperature Switch (CTS) and leave it disconnected. Drive it. If dash lamp still lights, then your problem is NOT with the CTS. Thanks. I honestly have no idea what to do here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ωhm Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Location The Motor Manual Guy_Cooling 3_5 pg139.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Thor Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 1 minute ago, Ωhm said: Location The Motor Manual Guy_Cooling 3_5 pg139.pdf That's awesome! Thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Thor Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 Just to give you all some closure on the situation, I found out that I got a cracked head. Now I have to decide if I want to rebuild, put in a new engine or sell this thing. If it weren't for bad luck I'd have none at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howeitsdone Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 I know what you mean! Found out my head was cracked in Jan when rebuilding. Felt defeated, but bought another head and went on with the rebuild. Yesterday I was tearing down another motor from my XJ and found it had a hole in it. Rather than let it get me down, I found a guy 40min from me selling a block that needs rebuilt. Called him last night and he said come on out Saturday and get it. It'll be business as usual in a few days. Both my motors with issues, yet here I am because a good vehicle is hard to come by these days. Plus I enjoy it Fortunately, a cracked head is much simpler than a hole in the block. Just need to swap in another! Of course, it'll take some time if you wanna do it right, but at least the truck didn't catch fire or anything! You can look at it as a large maintenance item that you can check off the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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