98 contour electrical problem

sorry mt, temp gauge not working...
i am just learning to use this site. hope i am in the right place now, figured out the new tread issue also i hope, thx guys. my zetec has 100k, auto trans. thx for all your info on the gauge sending unit. it was under the thermostat just as you stated. i ordered it thru autozone yesterday and should get it this afternoon sometime. i have the old one out to take to make sure it is the right one also. get my window lift part for durango also today luckly it was under warranty still....
???:uhoh: once i put the sending unit back in. the manual says to fill engine back up. how do i fill the engine side back up with coolant and purge the air out of the system. or will the engine warm up enough to where the thermostat will open to let coolant in and leave the resevoir cap open. don't need a bad headgasket right now.
if the new unit doesn't take care of the gauge looks like gauge work to me. like i said autozone's scan passed. wish i new what fuse still the book is talking about checking before doing all of this i am doing. i can't seem to figure it out, any help sure would be appreciated.
thx
mh1205
go buckeyes!
98 contour se 2.0
98 contour se zetec 2.0

Do you have a meter or test light? If yes, check all the fuses. At the visible end of the fuse you will see two slots. Using a test light, turn the car on, and check to see if you have power to both slots. If you have power to only one slot, the fuse is bad.

...once i put the sending unit back in. the manual says to fill engine back up. how do i fill the engine side back up with coolant and purge the air out of the system. or will the engine warm up enough to where the thermostat will open to let coolant in and leave the resevoir cap open. don't need a bad headgasket right now...
The system is pretty good about self-bleeding (that little hose that goes from the top of the t-stat housing to the coolant bottle gets any air that floats to the top). Just fill the coolant bottle back up to the max. line with 50/50 antifreeze mixture, and check it and top it off if needed after it runs a while (half hour or so).

I know what you mean about the head gasket - I just did one because the water pump impeller disintegrated.

thx so much for your reply, highly appreceited. i did this and all fuses tested out fine. which i checked them all before. i was trying to figure out which fuse is the one for this temp sending unit not the sensor but for the gauge and sending unit. book does not tell you in detail which one it is. eveyone says check the fuse, which one is it? but like i said all of them are checked and are fine.
thx so much
mh1205
go buckeyes!
98 contour se 2.0
98 contour se zetec 2.0

peva,
thx for the reply and answering on the bleeding. understand what you mean i see why [/U]the bleeder on the thermostat is at the top when you put it in now, makes since. good deal. never had a car without the rediator cap till these contours. yes i use 50/50 also in these cars always.
thx again...
mh1205
go buckeyes!
98 contour se 2.0
98 contour se zetec 2.0

to all,
someone has pointed out to me how to test the gauge temp sending unit which helped my problem very much and it worked great and i will always remember this one and it is so easy for the DIY also:
unplug the connector to the sending unit and use a jumper wire to the red/white wire on the connector and the other on a ground and turn the key like your going to start it but don't start it and if the gauge works and moves it is the sending unit. if it doesn't work it is the gauge or wire harness.
so happens mine is the sending unit and the part i order a couple days ago from autozone was the wrong one and they don't have one. so i went to the dealer cause carquest doesn't show it either it is the wrong one also. the dealer will have it today $30 and i know it will work now after the test i proformed. thanks so much for all your inputs. it was just a nerve racking problem. still would like to know which fuse controls this though, maybe their isn't one.....

thx, again
mh1205
go buckeyes!
98 contour se 2.0
98 contour se zetec 2.0

...so happens mine is the sending unit and the part i order a couple days ago from autozone was the wrong one and they don't have one. so i went to the dealer cause carquest doesn't show it either it is the wrong one also. the dealer will have it today $30 and i know it will work now after the test i proformed...
Yeah - that's what I pointed out in this thread: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=643067. The documentation (on the temperature senders as well as a lot of other things) in the FSM is the worst I have ever seen in any factory manual - they call both the ECT, and it is very confusing. And the dumb-sh** aftermarket world refers to it as a temperature *switch* (which it isn't). I can't tell you how many times I've ordered the PCM (fan control) sender instead of the gage sender for this car because by the time I need a new one, I forget to order the opposite one from what the screwed up factory and aftermarket documentation makes you think it is. :banghead:

I bought one last week at Advance for $10 - it was in stock! Then I sold the car. :iceslolan

peva,
amen, i agree 100% i have gone thru the same sh#@ in the last week or so. an like you said everyone calls it a sensor or a switch. i tell them 100 times it is not the sensor i have already replaced that and it controls the fan. gauge sending unit is under the thermostat and it is a guage temp sending unit it controls the gauge on the dash. and looks totally different. they still get it wrong.... the dealer did get it right after about 5 mins of argueing and had to take it up to show him also.
man, 10 bucks wish we had an advance here that would have saved me 20 bucks.
thx for all your help, i have learned alot by this lesson.

later
mh1205
go buckeyes!
98 contour se 2.0
98 contour se zetec 2.0

Like I said in the other thread - for the aftermarket part, you have to ask them for the "temperature switch" even though it's technically not a switch. If you ask for the switch you will get the right part.

to all,
bought the right gauge temp sending unit and sealant already installed at the dealer for $27.50. i installed in 5 mins, works like a charm good to see the gauge move again. would have saved alot of bs if i would have went to them in the first place instead of guess ordering from everyone else and none of them had sealant ready to install either. this was so easy to replace once you have all the info. worth doing yourself for sure.
thx to all again for your inputs, this site is awesome!!

mh1205
go buckeyes!
98 contour se 2.0
98 contour se zetec 2.0