temp guage problem?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Modesto CA
temp guage problem?
I have a '60 driver. The problem is the temp guage suddenly reads 220 degrees (way hot) while the engine is still 180 (heat measuring gun). I've changed the sending unit twice and still have the same problem. The guage registers cold when starting but moves to the 220 side within a few minutes. There is still a little room for the guage needle move to the varying temperatures, so it is working; just showing to hot. I've replaced the sending wire with no effect. Must be the guage? Do temp gauges ' go out ' this way? Who fixes temp guages? thanks for all the help now and in the past!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 3,025
Likes: 12
From: Pleasant Grove AL
Re: temp guage problem? (ptuner)
What kind of temp sender do you have? Some of the temp senders are designed to work with idiot lights and are "on-off" rather than linear. Try a Wells TU5 sender from Autozone. About $6. Most everyone (but not all) who has tried these units reports good results.
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 3,631
Likes: 14
From: Fountain Hills AZ
Re: temp guage problem? (ptuner)
Check the line between the guage and the sending unit. Every once in awhile my guage acts like yours. Sometimes my needle will start a steady rise and just as I'm about to pull over to see what's going on, it drops back to normal. This has also happened well before the car had been fully warmed up. I suspect that there's a break somewhere in the lead that occasionally separates from vibration or possibly a bad connection at the guage. This wouldn't be the first time a 38 year old wire has failed :).
[Modified by Vetterodder, 12:15 PM 5/17/2003]
[Modified by Vetterodder, 12:15 PM 5/17/2003]
Racer
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 395
Likes: 1
From: Los Altos Hills Ca.
Re: temp guage problem? (ptuner)
In the latest NCRS Driveline, there is an ad for Lectric Limited who claim to have a line of absolutely correct temp senders. They say they have them calibrated exactly the way the OEM senders were way back when. Who knows, may be worth a try.
