Help!

[mrmike]

OK, here is the situation. The other day, my check engine light comes on and stays on, so I get it scanned, comes up with the egr valve code. I do some research and find out that carbon buildup is a common cause of the code. I take out the egr valve, clean it up with carb cleaner as well as the port that it bolts to. I put it all together, fire it up and the light goes off! Yeah! It was a little cold out (-5c) when I took it for a good drive to warm it up and blow some carbon out. I went down the highway for about 8 minutes, and when I hit the turnaround to come back, I noticed that my temperature gauge wasn't working! The gauge moves about 4mm when you turn it on, but it doesn't go above the 0 mark. Is there any way that these two events are connected? Did I bump a wire or maybe clog a sensor? Where is the engine temp sensor? The car has never ran rough and all the fluids are perfect. I really need to fix this! Please help!

[WhiteV6]

Its in the lower intake manifold by the thermostat. No where near the EGR and I don't know the newer setups but mine always have 2 sensors. One for the ECM and one for the gauge. I think yours is a 3 wire and sends to both. If the ECM doesn't get a temp reading, it will screw with fueling and spark. The EGR isn't on until a certain temp either or a time frame base on start up coolant temp (going off OBD1 experience).

[ServO]

Sometimes with cars, random stuff all happens at once.
Like losing a thermostat and a headlight at the same time...
Last weekend I was putting on some of those fancy valve stem covers and noticed a dry wall screw sticking out of my tire. It was a Sunday afternoon, and I had a 40 minute commute the next morning...
$2 for the valve stem covers, and $103.87 for the new tire since the screw was too far off to the side to patch.
Cars are like girlfriends...expensive, and picky...they have mood swings, and sometimes not as much common sense as you'd think...especially when they're on the freeway.
I'm hoping that your problem is just something simple...just give the whole engine a couple of thumps with a rubber mallet...you should be fine.

[rustyballs_69]

Sounds like the t stat is stuck open.

[Cliff8928]

Its in the lower intake manifold by the thermostat. No where near the EGR and I don't know the newer setups but mine always have 2 sensors. One for the ECM and one for the gauge. I think yours is a 3 wire and sends to both. If the ECM doesn't get a temp reading, it will screw with fueling and spark. The EGR isn't on until a certain temp either or a time frame base on start up coolant temp (going off OBD1 experience).

Nah, the newer cars use the same old 2 wire sensors like the OBD I cars do. The gauge is controlled by class 2 serial data from the PCM.

[mrmike]

fixed...the wire connector was dirty. Cleaned it up and plugged it back in.