2” Gauge Location

T_Hase89

TJ Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2019
Messages
504
Location
Southern Illinois
Today I was cruising down the interstate and my check gauges warning light came on and my temp spiked to 260ish.

I pulled over, popped the hood and everything checked out ok so I jumped back in the jeep and turned key on to see what the temp was at so I could let it cool and I could finish the last 5 miles home. Key on, temp dropped back down to 210 within 3 seconds. I started the jeep up, heard the fan and took back off. Never rose above 210 again.

So basically, I don’t trust my gage at all at the moment and want to install a mechanical gage to verify the cluster gage. Where have you guys mounted them. I’m not really a fan of center top of dash or a pillar but google didn’t provide many good pics to sell me on those locations either.
 
Better to just replace your thermostat with a fresh 195 degree non-failsafe thermostat like a Stant SuperStat. A sticking thermostat is the usual cause of a spike jump to a high temp like yours did. An aftermarket gauge would have shown the same type of spiked temperature rise indication.
 
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On my other TJ, I put the trans temp gauge in the lower console, just forward of the 4wd shifter. To answer your question but, yes, you may have a problem somewhere.
 
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If the Check Gauges light came on, you should have a code stored. Not a scanners read codes for the Check Gauges light but it will be displayed in the odometer if you cycle the key in the ignition form off to on three times. The code could lead to a faulty temp sensor or a short in the wiring.
 
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As was said, best to address the root cause first and fix the underlying problem. The factory gauges are very reliable and there's no real reason to add gauges for the existing dash functions. That said, if gauges are added I'm a fan of mounting them up high to reduce the amount of time eyes are taken off the road. This one goes against your top center dash dislike, but it's a great location, with easy visibility, for my transmission temperature gauge.

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I echo all the other comments. Likely a thermostat issue. As for gauges, I put my OBA in the center console near the 4wd shifter. Not needed for OBA, but it lights up and moves. The light doesn't interfere with night driving and can dim with the other dash lights

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Thanks everyone for the advice. I just assumed it was a fluke due to how quick it dropped back from 260 to 210. I’ll get a new tstat.
 
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Agreed, another underlying problem.

I mounted a gauge for my transmission temp gauge at the back of the center console, right in front of the e-brake handle.
96A20A7E-4AD8-445D-8033-E4CA19783A88.jpeg
 
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