hi,
i just got the head straightened in my TR magna at a mechanic. But now the temperature guage doesn't work, and it did before i took it to the mechanics because otherwise i would not have known that my head was warped due to the huge overheating in the engine which the guage showed.
Mechanic said he didn't know what it was, would have to charge me extra to take a look. Is that dodgy? the guage was fine before i took it in, but now it won't move off cold. how much would it cost to fix it do you reckon? and is there anyway you can get the mechanic to fix it without me having to pay for it because i don't think i should have to if its their mistake.

also, with getting the head straightened, do i have to drive it in or something? because it doesn't feel right. sometimes i've got my foot almost to the floor and the car won't have much power. does it take a bit of time for the whole engine to settle down?

It happens, the temp switch is on the head and he probably just hasn't connected it back up properly. Give him a ring and let him know, if he is shut already lift ya bonnet and have a look around the head for a loose wire with a metal thingy on the end. Then find the Switch and slide the wire back on.

If I can do it......

he doesnt know how a temp guage works :nuts: :nuts: :nuts:
but he can repair a head???

It happens, the temp switch is on the head and he probably just hasn't connected it back up properly. Give him a ring and let him know, if he is shut already lift ya bonnet and have a look around the head for a loose wire with a metal thingy on the end. Then find the Switch and slide the wire back on.

If I can do it......
failing that, the temp sender is stuffed... for the guage to read nothing, it's either not connected or the sensor is not working... both easy to fix.

does your fuel gauge work? in gen1 magnas, the fuel gauge and the temp gauge use the same 7volt regulator on the back of the dash... these are common to bust on gen1 magnas... not too sure if it's something similar on a 2nd gen. might be a co-inki-dink...

also, with getting the head straightened, do i have to drive it in or something? because it doesn't feel right. sometimes i've got my foot almost to the floor and the car won't have much power. does it take a bit of time for the whole engine to settle down?
not really... i mean the head gasket does need to bed in and make a seal... so probably not a good idea to floor it... but after a few hot/cold cycles, it should be all good. if the car feels gutless, perhaps there is a compression leak? usually have to drive in motor after you hone the cylinders and wack in some new rings... head gasket/new head just needs a few hot/cold cycles and a light foot on the go pedal.

yeah my fuel guage works fine. i've been driving the car a bit more tonight and it feels like it doesn't change from first to second gear at the right time. it'll get to max power in first and then you have to weight a few seconds for it to change to second.
i also couldn't find any loose wires around the head
could it be a fuse blown in the fuse box maybe? that's easy to get to rather than taking off the dash...i wanna do that as a last resort...
bloody mechanics, fix one thing and something else goes wrong!