Hi Kurt:
Well, if it really is getting hot then the first thing that I think about is a bad thermostat. Have you replaced it lately? It is easy to replace and/or at least pop it out and see if that solves your problem.

If its not really getting hot then I would go with the suggestion that it is a problem with the insulation on the wiring for the gauge (the sensor/sender wire on my 240 has long since flaked off its insulation in many portions of the wire). Since it runs under the manifold and around a variety of parts I could see that acceleration could cause movement in the engine compartment and perhaps cause the wire to ground out by coming into contact with some metal part in the engine compartment. Also easy to do a visual check on and, if necessary, do a "test" repair with electrical tape to see if that resolves the problem.

Hopefully its one of these two issues, as they would be easiest to resolve.

Happy holidays otherwise!

Mike
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Mike Brown Greenville, NC 1996 965 113K 1994 940 135K 1986 244 137K