Water Temp Help
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 41
Likes: 4
From: North Ridgeville Ohio
Water Temp Help
Hello everyone,
I am new to the C3 having just sold my 89 and purchased an 82 and have some questions. Is there a water temp light along with the temp guage? The temp guage moves about a quarter of an inch and goes no farther. Probably reading about 140 or so. There is no evidence of overheating but I didn't find anything in the owners manual about a light. I've got the use of an IR gun. Where is the best place on the engine to check the temps? I put the gun on the thermostat housing while the car was running and read about 215 but the guage stayed at about 140. I removed the wire on the sender and touched it to metal with ignition on and the needle jumped to just before the red mark, about 3/4 but not to maximum. I've replaced the guage sender in the block with no change. Thanks to everyone's help while I learn this crossfire.
Regards, Ed
I am new to the C3 having just sold my 89 and purchased an 82 and have some questions. Is there a water temp light along with the temp guage? The temp guage moves about a quarter of an inch and goes no farther. Probably reading about 140 or so. There is no evidence of overheating but I didn't find anything in the owners manual about a light. I've got the use of an IR gun. Where is the best place on the engine to check the temps? I put the gun on the thermostat housing while the car was running and read about 215 but the guage stayed at about 140. I removed the wire on the sender and touched it to metal with ignition on and the needle jumped to just before the red mark, about 3/4 but not to maximum. I've replaced the guage sender in the block with no change. Thanks to everyone's help while I learn this crossfire.
Regards, Ed
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,124
Likes: 140
From: Western New York
If you get a new gauge, hook it up and see if that's it before you tear into the dash and take everything apart. I'd personally replace the thermostat (and see if there's even one in there) before buying a new gauge. With a reading of 140* the thermostat may be missing.
Duane
Duane
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 41
Likes: 4
From: North Ridgeville Ohio
I'm not looking forward to tearing the dash apart so I will check the thermostat and if I need one check the new guage also. I also would have thought the guage will read at max when I grounded the sender wire but will check the easiest first. Thanks to all for the help. You people are great.
Ed
Ed
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,688
Likes: 41
From: Palm Harbor, Florida
I'm not looking forward to tearing the dash apart so I will check the thermostat and if I need one check the new guage also. I also would have thought the guage will read at max when I grounded the sender wire but will check the easiest first. Thanks to all for the help. You people are great.
Ed
Ed
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,323
Likes: 142
From: Green Valley Arizona
Could be the gauge, or could be the resistor across the terminals, or could be the flex circuit going to the gauge not maknig a good contact,
Grounding the sender wire should have sent the needle to max in a hurry.
Time to take the gauge console out.
The flex circuit is readily available and so are used temp gauges. If you replace the gauge just be sure to get the one that matches the '82 lettering style. I do not know if the resistors are available.
If you need a gauge, let me know, I think I have one sitting in a box in the garage. It should match as I got it for my '81, but can always send a picture.
Removing the gauge console is not all the difficult.
Good luck.
Grounding the sender wire should have sent the needle to max in a hurry.
Time to take the gauge console out.
The flex circuit is readily available and so are used temp gauges. If you replace the gauge just be sure to get the one that matches the '82 lettering style. I do not know if the resistors are available.
If you need a gauge, let me know, I think I have one sitting in a box in the garage. It should match as I got it for my '81, but can always send a picture.
Removing the gauge console is not all the difficult.
Good luck.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,716
Likes: 121
From: Sulphur LA
St. Jude Donor '05-'06,'11,'13-'14,'16,'18,'19,'24, '25
Go to the Willcox wed site, on the left side look for Repair and Install Help, click on it and scroll down the page to find the temp gauge trouble shooting. Select supporting documentation and a PDF will open with all the details.
very good details on how to do it.
They offer a large number of tech articles free to us, says allot about what type of business person he is.
Neal
very good details on how to do it.
They offer a large number of tech articles free to us, says allot about what type of business person he is.
Neal
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 41
Likes: 4
From: North Ridgeville Ohio
--if you do have to replace the gauge, may as well fix your clock while your in there with another thread on here.....I hate messing with dashboard stuff.--
Boy I've been so focused on the water gauge I forgot about the clock. I checked and the clock doesn't work. Thanks for the hint. I will do the clock as well. I've only had this car a week and much to learn. Thanks
Ed
Boy I've been so focused on the water gauge I forgot about the clock. I checked and the clock doesn't work. Thanks for the hint. I will do the clock as well. I've only had this car a week and much to learn. Thanks
Ed
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 41
Likes: 4
From: North Ridgeville Ohio
Could be the gauge, or could be the resistor across the terminals, or could be the flex circuit going to the gauge not maknig a good contact,
Grounding the sender wire should have sent the needle to max in a hurry.
Time to take the gauge console out.
The flex circuit is readily available and so are used temp gauges. If you replace the gauge just be sure to get the one that matches the '82 lettering style. I do not know if the resistors are available.
If you need a gauge, let me know, I think I have one sitting in a box in the garage. It should match as I got it for my '81, but can always send a picture.
Removing the gauge console is not all the difficult.
Good luck.
Grounding the sender wire should have sent the needle to max in a hurry.
Time to take the gauge console out.
The flex circuit is readily available and so are used temp gauges. If you replace the gauge just be sure to get the one that matches the '82 lettering style. I do not know if the resistors are available.
If you need a gauge, let me know, I think I have one sitting in a box in the garage. It should match as I got it for my '81, but can always send a picture.
Removing the gauge console is not all the difficult.
Good luck.
Ed
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,850
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Here are the typical responses from temperature gauges and this holds true for all gauges 68-82
Ohms wire off.. Needle at 100
Ohms wire grounded. Needle at top of the right hand face rivet
Ground missing.. Needle points right below right hand face rivet
Resistor blown on gauge.. Needle points right below right hand face rivet
Gauge reads at the first mark 68-76-insulator washer missing.
If this were a fuel gauge I'd tell you the resistor was bad. Since you have conducted the ground/no ohms test and the gauge failed, it is usually only one thing.... the gauge.
Yes.. while you are in there you should go head and do the clock. Quartz kits are very easy to install, we have them on the site and they come with pretty simple instructions.
We also have instructions on the site on how to remove the dash bezel, you'll find them at this link. http://willcoxcorvette.com/repairand...lp.php?hID=263 Click on supporting document and it will show you dash pad instructions... Just start in the middle of page three and it will walk you through how to get the bezel out.
Your gauge functions the same as this one..
Ohms wire off.. Needle at 100
Ohms wire grounded. Needle at top of the right hand face rivet
Ground missing.. Needle points right below right hand face rivet
Resistor blown on gauge.. Needle points right below right hand face rivet
Gauge reads at the first mark 68-76-insulator washer missing.
If this were a fuel gauge I'd tell you the resistor was bad. Since you have conducted the ground/no ohms test and the gauge failed, it is usually only one thing.... the gauge.
Yes.. while you are in there you should go head and do the clock. Quartz kits are very easy to install, we have them on the site and they come with pretty simple instructions.
We also have instructions on the site on how to remove the dash bezel, you'll find them at this link. http://willcoxcorvette.com/repairand...lp.php?hID=263 Click on supporting document and it will show you dash pad instructions... Just start in the middle of page three and it will walk you through how to get the bezel out.
Your gauge functions the same as this one..
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; Jan 19, 2013 at 06:23 PM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 41
Likes: 4
From: North Ridgeville Ohio
Just an update on my gauge problem in case someone else is having the same problem. I first checked the thermostat and all was fine. I did the check on Willcox's site and lo and behold it is the gauge. I tested a friends gauge from his 81 and it worked fine so it looks like I need a new gauge. Thanks to all who helped and thanks to Willcox for the help and the link for the instructions for removing the cluster. That had me alittle worried as I'm new to this C3.
Thanks again to everyone.
Ed
Thanks again to everyone.
Ed
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,850
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Just an update on my gauge problem in case someone else is having the same problem. I first checked the thermostat and all was fine. I did the check on Willcox's site and lo and behold it is the gauge. I tested a friends gauge from his 81 and it worked fine so it looks like I need a new gauge. Thanks to all who helped and thanks to Willcox for the help and the link for the instructions for removing the cluster. That had me alittle worried as I'm new to this C3.
Thanks again to everyone.
Ed
Thanks again to everyone.
Ed
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,062
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Youre not running at 140 that gun only reads the ouside temp of that housing not the coolant itself.
Closest I got to a real reading was pointing it directly at one of the rows on the radiator and even that will read a little cool.
Threw me off too when I first bought it. Same with cyl head intake etc.
Closest I got to a real reading was pointing it directly at one of the rows on the radiator and even that will read a little cool.
Threw me off too when I first bought it. Same with cyl head intake etc.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 41
Likes: 4
From: North Ridgeville Ohio
Youre not running at 140 that gun only reads the ouside temp of that housing not the coolant itself.
Closest I got to a real reading was pointing it directly at one of the rows on the radiator and even that will read a little cool.
Threw me off too when I first bought it. Same with cyl head intake etc.
Closest I got to a real reading was pointing it directly at one of the rows on the radiator and even that will read a little cool.
Threw me off too when I first bought it. Same with cyl head intake etc.
Ed