95 Windstar temp gauge help

I just repaired a cooling system leak. Drove the vehicle and the temp gauge went almost to hot. I let the car cool and refilled the system. Today when I drive the interior temp gauge doesn't move from the coldest position.

I tried jumping the connetor to see if the temp gauge would jump to hot but in the on position it doesn't move. The engine will not start with the connector teminals jump wired together. If I plug the connector into the sensor, the van starts and runs but the gauge doesn't move even though the heater blows warm air.

Any suggestions would help.

Thanks in advance.

FIRST....you have 2 temperature sensors....right next to each other.
1 is for the computer
The other is for the temperature gauge.
I have pictures posted, that the link in my signature takes you to....that show which sensor is which (I can't remember right off the top of my head.....which is why I take and label pictures).
So you will need to make sure that you are looking at the correct sensor.

EDIT:...The picture is on page 4 of 10. The sensor for the gauge is directly above the thermostat housing, the one that is over the heater hose is for the PCM......take note that this is on my '96......and I have a different lower intake manifold than the '95.

From what I am reading......the sensor should be 74 ohms for a COLD reading on the temperature gauge.
The sensor should be 10 ohms for a HOT reading.
So a resistance reading at the sensor terminals should get you a value somewhere between these 2 values.

Given this.....a open in the wiring will cause the gauge to read COLD.

If you go to a dealership or order online from a dealership.....INCLUDE your VIN with your order....or have it written down for the parts counter, just in case there was a mid-year change.....you want to get the correct part.

Thanks Wiswind.

My coolant temp sensor checks out fine. This is the one directly over the thermostat housing. According to the Hanes manual, this is the sensor that sends info to the computer. This makes sense that the car will not run without this plugged in. The wiring diagram shows this sensor has a light green with a red stripe wire on it.

The engine temper sender (not sensor) has a red with white stripe wire to it. I cannot easily find this one. The manual indicates this supplies the info to the gauge. Could running the car almost to hot damage this gauge?

The intake is different than the 96 so I'm having trouble locating this one. Are there any other picture on the web of a 95 Windstar engine setup? I'm having trouble finding this one. I hate to take the whole cowl off again to find out I could have done it without. The cowl clips are getting very worn and it's hard to find replacements that aren't brittle.

I don't know about pictures of the '95.
I am only familiar with the one that I own.

sirdeeker
According to my Service Manual the 2 are right next to each other. It looks as though its to the left of it when looking at the thermostat from the drivers side. OK I just found a better picture. The water temperature seding unit is just below the hose outlet to the right of the thermostat housing it is attached to the heater elbow connection which screws into the manifold. Like I said below where the small hose connects to the right of the thermostat. The engine coolant temperature sesor is directley above the thermostat housing in the top of the intake manifold. Hope that helps. I bet the one is hidden below the smaller hose. (Might be the bypass hose not sure.)

That is different from what the picture in ALLDATA shows for the location for the PCM sensor, it clearly shows the sensor for the computer over the heater hose connection.....angled to the side....
They only seem to show a drawing under the repair information for the PCM temperature sensor....and just instructions under the repair information for the gauge sensor.
But then that same picture has a few other things wrong......like the marking for the front of the engine.....and they show the oil fill cap on the rear valve cover......which would have the sensors on the opposite end of the motor.....which we know that they are not....

So the drawing in alldata is suspect.
I will have to look into this....and may need to adjust the labels in my picture.
No wonder why I get confused.......

Thanks for the help everyone. The problem is solved. The engine temp sender in the 95 windstar with the 3.8 engine is rearward of the engine coolant temp sensor. The coolant temp sensor which is over the thermostat housing.

The temp sender is right next to the number 6 cylinder fuel injector(rear driver side of engine). It is a much lower profile sensor than that shown in the excellent photo library provided by wiswind. Even the electrical connector is different. It is a single red wire with a white stripe that goes to a 90 degree boot that looks like a vacuum line. That's why I couldn't find it. I was looking for a clipped two wire plug. This 90 plug just pushed on a threaded stud in the sensor. The photo by wiswind does show the relative location correctly, it just looks different in the 95. Also the temperature sender does feed the information to the temp dash gauge, not the coolant temperature sensor.

Also, to remove the temperature sender, use a 11/16 open end wrench. I expected metric but it's larger than a 17 mm and smaller than 19 mm. I didn't have a 18mm to try but the 11/16 fit perfect. I removed the air intake to get a bit better access to turn the wrench. The hardest part is getting the new temperature sender threaded in. There is very little room to get my big paws in there.

I started it up and the inside gauge works great and I don't have to worry about cooking the engine. At least for now!

Sirdeeker, glad you where able to figure it out on your own. It was too late last night for me to look at my van to post back till now. I'm fortunate enough to have a 95 Taurus with nearly the identical engine to the 3.8 in my 95 van. It was actually easier to find the temp sender on the taurus than the van with the engine half under the cowl and so much crap all packed together.

I would have told you to have looked from your thermostat/upper hose connection, noting the temp coolant sensor and heater hose connection, then see a bolt head behind them on the intake manifold and right behind that you will see a small plug like unit screwed into the in man with a 90 deg wire connector on top The bypass water hose obscures a good view of it. In fact, Ford changed their minds so many times on the design of the coolant routing and the placement of these sensors, there are so many different pictures of this same location that is different, they must have changed it nearly yearly. No wonder anyone could describe where it is!?!