2003 Chevy Trailblazer problem...

[TopwaterTom21]

Today, while driving my 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer V6 with 80,000 Miles, the thermostat gauge on my dash went almost to the red. But, it didn't seem hot, my coolant and oil was a little bit low, but not really low. When I turned it off all my gauges go down to the lowest point except this time the gauge showed the Temp at half way. What could this be? It has been really cold out lately. What type of things can freeze up causing my gauge to go awry? And help is appreciated. I am going to bring it in but want to get some ideas from anyone on what it could be first.

[deadeye]

I would let it cool down and run it again to see what happens. If it repeats I would maybe point my finger at the thermostat. It always seems to go bad when its really hot out or really cold out. You could always feel the hoses, if one is boiling hot and the other cold after running for a while the t-stat is likely bad. It is a cheap fix if thats the case.

It is possible the gauge is not reading right, you could have it hooked up to a scanner and see what temp the computer is reading (the gauge and computer should have separate sensors on that one, so you can do that effectively). That would tell you if the temp sensor for the gauge is bad.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Sounds like the gauge if it is not returning to the home position with the key off.

[TopwaterTom21]

Thanks guys for your help, I'll let you know what the problem was in a while.