temperature gauge goes to hot when key turnd on and check engine light stays on
 

I just bought a 1996 Mazda mx-6 LS v-6 5 spd with 81,000 miles.Only had a chance to drive it around the block because it had no plates.Great body,sounded great so paid $2000 for it.After 10 minutes on the freeway
the check engine light came on and the temp gauge was pined to hot.I pulled over checked engine didnt feel hot or sound bad so drove slow 5 miles home.
At home I pulled the temp senser wire and the gauge droped to zero.Changed the temp senser and no change.Engine starts and sounds good.Good heat coming out of heater,no fluid lose,fans kick in after 10 minutes of ideling.
Any help would be great. Did I get ripped off?

Things to look at: Radiator, radiator Cap, coolant flush & fill, change coolant thermostat.
Check coolant and oil. Make sure no coolant in oil OR oil in coolant.

thanks I will try that

we can't tell if the CEL and the temperature issue are related. Please go to a parts store and get the car scanned for trouble codes. Report them here or search google with the trouble codes.

Could be a thermostat Problem - i.e. jammed closed. eventually the rest of the car will warm up and the fans will kick in but the system prior to the thermostat can get extremely hot and will damage the engine if not sorted.

COOLING SYSTEM CONCERNS -OVERHEATING

DESCRIPTION


Engine runs at higher than normal temperature/overheats.

POSSIBLE CAUSE

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Improper coolant level

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Blown fuses

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Coolant leakage

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Excessive A/C system pressure

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A/C system operation is improper

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Improper water/anti-freeze mixture

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Fans reverse rotation

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Poor radiator condition

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Thermostat malfunction

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Radiator hoses damage

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Improper or damaged radiator cap

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Cooling fan is inoperative.

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Coolant overflow system malfunction

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Improper tension of drive belt

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Drive belt damage

Hi again and thanks for the replys,
Let the car sit overnight after changing the temp senser,disconected the battery to clear the check engine light.Turned on the key and bang,right over to hot.Pulled the senser wire and went back to cold,left it unpluged and drove about 50 miles at speeds up to 100 mph at times, no check engine lights came on and engine ran great.Got home and let it cool down and pluged wire back on and bang right to hot.Maybe my gauge is shot

On a private road (or in Germany)

check earth on the circuit. Very unusual for the gauge to go but glad its not the engine getting too hot.

Really stupid question - is it a 2 wire sensor, if so are they on the right way round?

single wire
 

thanks for the reply,its a single wire temp gauge,ill check the ground,and the 100mph speed was on a private airstrip

Jealous! Gettin in a little Zoom Zoom! :D

I bet there is a short to ground in that single wire.

Don't fix it! This is single most effective excuse to go on a private air strip!:D