Engine temperature gauge reading off

[clubcart84]

I have a 1996 cobra that temp gauge is reading high. After sitting all night totally cold the gauge will read in the middle of normal. After start up and running the gauge will go to above hot. Should the gauge move to cold side after car is shut off or stay at the temp when turned off. Is it possible to calibrate the gauge?

 

[D3VST8R96GT]

Its really an on/off switch doesnt tell you much beyond its either below temp, at normal range, over temp. They are notorious for going out too.
It should go all the way to the left when off. If not its an issue at the cluster, most likely.

 

[ttocs]

as he said the temp and oil pressure are both ran through the computer and dumbed down so as not to scare the driver. For example I saw my car on the dyno in phoenix in july(115 degrees is a great time to tune) get hot enough that the computer was pulling timing to try and cool it, the temp gauge barely got above half way.

 

[clubcart84]

I saw a post that you can reposition the needle when its cool back to the left. Does that sound like an option. It would be easy to run a separate gauge but I want to keep the stock look

 

[ttocs]

I saw a post that you can reposition the needle when its cool back to the left. Does that sound like an option. It would be easy to run a separate gauge but I want to keep the stock look

sure you could pull the needle off and then put it back on a little lower but its not going to buy you anything more then the time wasted doing it. A separate temp gauge showing the real time temp is priceless. I can understand you do not want a dash full of gauges but there are ways around that. The stock gauges though are just not all that great at telling you what is really going on. The oil pressure gauge only tells you that it has 6 psi pressure on it. So you could have 7, loose the motor and the gauge would never show it was bad.