Edited: another fuel/temp gauge thread, but turns out the harness is melted together

Thanks for that information. This is exactly how my gauge is working right now, and honestly I can live with that. After all, I’m just trying to avoid running out of gas, right? Maybe someday I will swap an OEM sender.
This is where I am running right now:
View attachment 1715854011
Maybe it will read higher in the summer. If this is not considered a “too low” reading, and I can be assured the gauge will spike if my temperature increases, again I can live with this. I tested resistance at the sender, and I’m confident the sender is functioning properly.
That could be thermostat stuck open. Have you checked actual water temp?