I have a 1998 ford contour and the engine temp. gauge isn't working how do I fix it?

the temp gauge works from a sender unit and not a sensor . It is located in the head near the thermostat housing and is the one with one wire to it.

This could be a loose wire in your instrument cluster. I had the same problem with my S-10, but mine was a little bit worse. I have replaced the instrument cluster (17 dollars at the local junkyard), and everything works fine.

I think you're right with the air pocket. Feel around the hoses when the engine is running and at temperature (obviously, be careful)- the cold one will give you the clue...

Find the wire to the temp gauge sensor on the block of the engine. Unplug the wire and check your gauge. It should read max hot or cold. Ground the wire to the block and check your gauge. It should read the oppisite of the test before. If it does this then replace the temp sender. Otherwise head up the wiring to the gauge. Rare.
Greg
(most engines)

I wish I knew. Today I start by checking fuses and then find wires and look for continuity, If that works, great.

2.0L or 2.5L V6???

SECTION 303-14A: Electronic Engine Controls - 2.0L Engine 1998 Contour/Mystique Workshop Manual
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
#4 is coolant ECT - engine coolant temp sensor.

The kind of engineers that design them..Not fix them. Thats why the technicians are trained to fix the engineers mistakes of design. Cuts down on the backyard mechanics though.

cuold bea faulty sending unit and temp. switch, check the fuses and relays also if good test fan motors

first and foremost check the fuse box. there is a fuse for guages. The temp sensor is somewhere on the manifold and it will have a hard wire with probably a spring around it for protections that runs from the engine to the instrument cluster. You can remove the temp sensor and use a heat gun or propain heat and see if you get any kind of response. I suspect if all your other gauges are working the fuse is good. Most temp sensors do not use power only for lighting of the gauge, It just sends a resistance change to the water temp bulb and it moves the gauge. Is it a seperate gauge or in your insturment cluster? could be simple as a crushed line or the sensor went bad. It is normally self contained. I suspect it is a gauge and not a dummy light? if you can not get the one working in the instrument cluster I suggest going to and autoparts store and replace it which is very easy to do. You can remove the old sensor from the block and reinstall the new on in its place and run the cable back through where the first one was and mount the gauge in another area, It is very important to know the water temp since most computers use this info for setting the correct fuel to air mixture in a closed loop system. That is a diffrent sensor but you need to know the temp yourself to keep from blowing a head gasket or worse which can cause you lots of money to repair, I prefer to mount my own gauge seperate from the cluster, best of luck

Switch ig. on, ground the sender unit wire for about 3 seconds see if the temp. gauge moves, if so change sender unit, if not then it is a faulty gauge reader.