Had a similar problem on my EL.

The temp would vary depending on depending on speed and load.

I replaced the temp sensor, and I havent had a problem since. It sits rock solid between the M and A like it did when I first got the car 4 years ago. When you think about it, its a thermistor that gets heated and cooled from one extreme to the other daily, so its bound to get old and react alot more slowly than when it was new.

And as a side effect, got better fuel economy and performance. It's amazing how a few degrees of temp with an incorrect reading can effect the way the car runs. So $30 well spent I think.

I dont know what you are complaining about. The Temp guage sitting between "A and M" on EL's is absolutely perfectly normal either Cold or Hot weather.

set the dash to diagnostic mode and the temp varied from 84-94deg its only a matter of 10 difference, im not all that bothered anymore, found that A is 90deg and L is about 85. basically its under 100 so i dont care!

I would say that while the falcon is a great car it's cooling system can leave a bit to be desired. I think the fan/radiator could be a bit small for the size of engine since in a typical high load situation (40 deg, aircon and idling at the lights after a blat) its sitting about 3/4 up the gauge and staying there untill the car gets up to speed again. (and yes the radiator has been flushed, clean fluid etc.)

Additionally some other car manufacturers adjust the temp gauge to make things look more normal than they really are. Eg. Subaru WRX's are especially bad for this as the ecu is often dumping heaps of fuel into the engine to keep it cool while the gauge is showing flat normal, this is sometimes part of the reason for the "I beat a WRX with my corrolla" stories. - Got this from the guy at Redline Oils.

I had the same problem after my head gasket was done. took it back to the work shop and they told me it happens to a lot of falcons after the repair. they put it down to the fact that every thing is new or clean and the system is working so well it show the slight variations.


i have a NF and when driving it sits on the A when i give it a boot or up a steep hill it climbs to the M as soon as i back off it drops to the A. after sitting at lights i take off and it drops to the L. DONT WORRY.

Very interesting read , thanks.

If you have done all of the other bits around your cooling system an put in the correct coolant, the other thing you can check is if your fan clutch is working.

Yeah the only worry about it running to cool is you might lose a bit more fuel economy thats all. But other than that nothing to worry about unless you start getting readings in the "R" part then get things checked out at a Rad place.