FREE REPAIR MANUALS & LABOR GUIDES 1982-2013 Vehicles
Courtesy of Operation CHARM: Car repair manuals for everyone.

Temperature Gauge: Description and Operation

When the ignition is in ON (II) or START (III), battery voltage is supplied through fuse 5 to the gauges in the gauge assembly.

The Coolant Temperature gauge is operated by two intersecting coils wound around a permanent magnet rotor. When voltage is applied to the coils, a magnetic field is generated which causes the rotor to rotate and the gauge needle to move. The magnetic fields are controlled by the coolant temperature sending unit. As the resistance in the sending unit varies, current through the gauge coils changes, and the gauge needle moves according to the changing magnetic field.