engine temp gauge problem

i know this forum is for accords but im guessing this might just be a general car question. my little sis just bought a used car from a friend (90 toyota tercel) and the temp gauge barley moves up and when i drive it the pointer goes down to C. even after 20mins of driving it would still be at the bottom. what could be the problem? i have antifreeze. could it just be the gauge? because when i touch the radiator it is hot. also when its cold i would have to crank the car for about 3 seconds for it to crank over. any idea's guys?

thanks

winston

check to make sure the wiring is intact and fully plugged in. if all checks out, then your gauge itself is prolly broken. they are not hard to replace and dont cost much.

would it have anything to do with the thermostat? my friend told me to check that.

If the rad is too hot to touch after driving, then it's not a thermostat problem. Maybe the connector is off the sensor? But I think that would read high. Maybe the sensor is bad.

BTW the cranking issue (3 seconds isn't ALL that long!) is unrelated. Ask at the Tercel forum if it bothers you.

Actually, why AREN'T you posting this at the appropriate forum??

i post here because i figure its just a general question

i figure its just a general questionNot really. For all we know, Toyotas have a known problem with temperature gauges!

That's why there are different forums.

he got a point there, never know there could have been a recall on it as well.

good point