Temp Gauge never moves

Hello i have a 92 cherokee with a new engine installed in it with 1180 miles on it but the thing i am not comfortable with is the fact that ever since i have owned it the temp gauge never moves! If i ground it the gauge goes to full overheat and i also replaced the sending unit which is on the thermostat housing it all appears to be hooked up and working it never moves:! and this bugs the hell out of me! any ideas would be very welcome!

Tom Green

possably not connected right somewhere down the line.

When it is disconnected...is it zero?

If i take the single wire goin to sender unit and ground it on the engine it goes to full overheat but if i crank the engine to start it it goes to full overheat as sonn as it starts it goes to full cold,and stays there all day nite or whatever the only time it works is when cranking the engine:) after i turn the engine off it raises up from cold to about 1/8 inch:( it's crazy!

it stays on full cold if i take the wire loose yes! it stays there all the time unless cranking it then goes to full hot but back to cold when it starts!

Hello i have a 92 cherokee with a new engine installed in it with 1180 miles on it but the thing i am not comfortable with is the fact that ever since i have owned it the temp gauge never moves! If i ground it the gauge goes to full overheat and i also replaced the sending unit which is on the thermostat housing it all appears to be hooked up and working it never moves:! and this bugs the hell out of me! any ideas would be very welcome!

Tom Green
You replaced the one in the t-stat housing?I haven't worked on a 92 in a while but that has the single wire sensor in the back of the head,right?That is the one you are grounding to get the gauge to move,right? Did you replaced that sensor?If you did,did you get the one for the gauge or for the idiot light?The sensor in the t-stat housing is the coolant sensor for the pcm,not the gauge.

thanx for your quick replay but to answer yer question there is 2 sensors on t stat housing one is 2 pin for pmc and i replaced it also but this one sticks right out straight toward the radiator and has one wire only and i am not sure if it the right one for gauge or idiot light but for damn sure gonna get to the bottom of it the one wire plug does send the gauge to full hot if i ground it:(
I went to jeep dealer and bought this little bugger for bout 28 bucks but they may have give me one for idiot light and not for gauge but there is only one wire does it make a difference?

Yea,it makes a difference.one is a sensor,one is a switch.Like I said I havent been around a 92 in a while,and I thought the one for the gauge was still in the back of the head.

I will look on the back of the head tomorrow in the daylight but as fas as i know this little cute fella is sticking out like a sore thumb on the front of T stat housing! and it is the one that if i ground it it goes to full hot! so it has to be it but i do wonder why the idiots at jeep did not ask me if i had a gauge or a light when i bought the damn thing:( The bottom line is i cannot afford it right now any damn way i am currently undergoing radiation treatments and and i am on disability for throat cancer and just had major surgery 2 months ago thyroid and lymph node removal so on disability right now $623.00 a month:( peanuts:( but we can spend millions on a damn war!
I just went out and checked the bac of the head and there is no temp sensor or any kind of sensor:(

GMSIGNS----I work for the VA hospital, in the in-patient pharmacy, and if you are a Vet, your treatment is free. I kid you not. Something to look at when you get time. I do hope you feel better.

age 57 not a vet wish i was! thanx anyway:)

You never said what engine is in the jeep if it's the 4.0 inline six then on the thermostat housing there's only 1 sensor which is the coolant temp sensor for the computer and the engine temp switch sending unit is on the back of the engine to the right of the cover which is a pain to get to and replace without breaking off. If it is the inline six you have I have pictures of mine if I can figure out how to post pictures on the forum.