I have a 1996 626 with 290,000 miles, and a couple of months ago I had the water pump and hoses replaced. About a week ago the temperature gage started to act wierd. When I turn the key on the gage automatically goes to the warmed up temperature reading and stays there. It does this all the time. Is this just a bad gage and would it even be worth replacing it? The gage needle does move, because when I shut off the engine it goes down. I'm not too concerned since I just had the work done and am not too worried about overheating. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

since the gauge is moving, i would bet it's ok. i would suggest testing the temperature sending sensor for the gauge. note: there are two temp sensors (maybe more for fans, i can't be sure on your car), one for gauge, other for ecu. on 94 mx3, ecu's sensor was called a thermosensor. find the other one, and test with ohm-meter, with that high mileage, it could have gone bad... it's probably cheaper to replace than the gauge itself