Changed my water temp sending unit and still nothing on the gauge.

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MattP

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Title says it. All of my other gauges work, even fuel. Water temp is dead though. Figured I'd swap out the sending unit and problem solved but it didn't go that way.

1. Found out that when you take out the old sending unit coolant will flow out making a nice puddle in the intake. :-(

2. Replaced the sending unit and let the car idle for a few minutes to come to temp. Nothing on the temp gauge.:-:)-(

Where should I start?
 
I had a similar situation, temp gauge didn't work. Also replaced the sending unit to no avail. Turned out all connectors on the back side of gauge cluster were loose. Tightened them up, and presto!
 
Just went out and grounded the sending unit and the gauge pegged.

Letting it warm up for a few minutes and see it the gauge moves.

Thoughts?
 
If you grounded the sender wire and the gauge pegged, then that part "may" be OK. Is it possible you overtightened the sender and damaged it? Otherwise your sender is defective

"New" does not mean "functional."

ALSO it may be that the sender molded connector has an intermittent break internally

Get a screw the same size as the sender stud, I don't remember, no6 or no8 machine screw. Put that in the sender connector and clip your meter in with the key OFF. Put the meter on ohms and shake and wiggle the connector, looking for a change in the meter reading
 
MattP said:
Just went out and grounded the sending unit and the gauge pegged.

Letting it warm up for a few minutes and see it the gauge moves.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

"Just went out and grounded the sending unit and the gauge pegged."????

You mean that you grounded the wire that goes to the sending unit? If you did that then either they gave you a defective unit or one for and idiot light.
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
"Just went out and grounded the sending unit and the gauge pegged."????

You mean that you grounded the wire that goes to the sending unit? If you did that then either they gave you a defective unit or one for and idiot light.
Click to expand...


correct

Grounded the wire and the gauge pegs. It's been idling since I wrote the first post. Gauge hasn't moved.
 
Hmmm, that sending unit needs to be grounded, theoretically the tape would tear enough to ground, but.......... I always use thread sealant.
 
Badsport said:
Hmmm, that sending unit needs to be grounded, theoretically the tape would tear enough to ground, but.......... I always use thread sealant.
Click to expand...


I'll pull it out tomorrow once the block has cooled off and try that. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Clamp a piece of wire around the hex where the wrench went and clamp it with a pair of Vice Grips and ground the other end. That would create a ground.
Click to expand...


Good idea. I had just looped a piece of wire around the threaded stud the wire running to the gauge hooks to and grounded that on the negative batt terminal.
 
You want to ground the outside of the sender, put the gauge wire on and see if your gauge works.
 
Grounded the outside of the sender "where the wrench goes" to the neg batt terminal. Nothing. Moved the ground to the signal wire and it pegged.

It's looking like a bad sending unit or one that is for an idiot light like mentioned above. I can google it if not, but does anyone know off hand the part number for the factory sending unit? I'm hoping a quick trip to the parts store fixes up my problem. Everything else in the cluster works like a champ.
 
When you grounded the sender did you have the gauge wire hooked up like normal?
 
Yes, I just touched the ground to the bigger part where the wrench goes. Then when nothing happened I moved it up to where the sending wire was connected.
 
MattP said:
anyone know off hand the part number for the factory sending unit? .
Click to expand...

How about the other way around? What part number did you put in there?

A warning light sender is completely open (infinity resistance) when cold or normal operating temp, and closes to a dead short when overheated It is, in effect, a switch.
 
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