I have a 2004 Avalanche and I'm having trouble with the temperature guage. I first noticed the problem yesterday. The temp guage showed a reading at approximately "4 o'clock". Way past the high temp reading. I was shocked. There is no problem with the motor and it works properly. Then, the warmer it got, the more the needle moved all the way to around the"5:30" position.

This morning when I started it (outside temp in the 40's), it was sitting at around "4:30" positon and moved into about the "5:30" position as it warmed up.

Does anyone have any answers as to why this is happening?

 

There could be a lot of things wrong but at the very minimum I would start questioning the thermostat. Also you could try to figure out where the actual temp sensor is and make sure it is secured properly and connected.

 

The motor that controls the gauge might be messed up. 2 things you could do: 1. take it to a dealership and have them reflash it or 2. have teh motor replaced or the whole cluster whihc is easier to do adn can be found on Ebay pretty reasonable.