C3 Tech/Performance V8 Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Basic Tech and Maintenance for the C3 Corvette
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Temp sensor 454 bb

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Mar 20, 2016 | 09:56 PM
  #1  
stephenmsweigart's Avatar
stephenmsweigart
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From: pa
Default Temp sensor 454 bb

My temp gauge does not work and the car overheats....I have replaced the radiator but am unable to locate the temp sensor.....any help here I have thoroughly looked over the engine and cant locate it. The gauge shows no reading so I'm guessing the wire must be missing or off the sensor.


thanks
Reply
Old Mar 20, 2016 | 10:05 PM
  #2  
forvicjr's Avatar
forvicjr
Burning Brakes
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,132
Likes: 14
From: A town SC
Default

Left or right cylinder head or the intake if it even has one. No telling whats been done or whos done what with the sender after all these years. Hell when I first got my car it started up an ran, thats it. Absolutely nothing else electrically or vacuum operated worked. 95% does now though.... 20 grand later.
Reply
Old Mar 21, 2016 | 12:53 PM
  #3  
mikem350's Avatar
mikem350
Melting Slicks
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,105
Likes: 96
From: Sunrise FL
Default

Look for a green wire (may be covered in loom) near where vicjr said. Then ground it, gauge should move.
Reply
Old Mar 21, 2016 | 04:21 PM
  #4  
stephenmsweigart's Avatar
stephenmsweigart
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From: pa
Default

Originally Posted by mikem350
Look for a green wire (may be covered in loom) near where vicjr said. Then ground it, gauge should move.
thanks for the reply.....still no wire...guess I need to trace it from the inside dash to the engine compartment....also when I removed the thermostat housing I discovered no thermostat....why do you suppose someone would do that?? and do you think it might have created problems with the engine??..I had to have the car inspected here in Pa and I have only owned for 3mos and had not driven it....driving home from garage and drove into driveway the engine was making a weird noise and the overflow was spewing dark brown water...I thought that the garage had added antifreeze and for a moment was pissed that it didn't look like green fluid. when I removed the radiator brown fluid came out the bottom of the hose and when I tipped it over in the yard, all green antifreeze came out the top....I am under the assumption that the radiator was plugged and now worried I might have caused an engine problem.
Reply
Old Mar 21, 2016 | 04:45 PM
  #5  
Alan 71's Avatar
Alan 71
Team Owner
15 Year Member
Active Streak: 120 Days
Community Influencer
Top Answer: 5
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 31,283
Likes: 4,373
From: Westminster Maryland
Default

Hi sws,
I wish you had said what year car you had and whether it was a 427 or 454. But in any case….
Typically the original location for the temperature sender was on the driver's side head between the first and second spark plugs.
The configuration of the electrical connector varied to match the sender.
The lead generally had a woven sheath on it to give it some heat protection.
I wish I had a bb picture to post but a sb picture will have to do until someone else comes along.
Regards,
Alan

Here it is on a sb.


The sheathed wire running from the harness to the switch under the exhaust manifold.
Reply
Old Mar 21, 2016 | 04:52 PM
  #6  
Alan 71's Avatar
Alan 71
Team Owner
15 Year Member
Active Streak: 120 Days
Community Influencer
Top Answer: 5
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 31,283
Likes: 4,373
From: Westminster Maryland
Default

Hi sws,
Well it sounds like you didn't have a coolant flow through the radiator.
That could be caused by a faulty water pump, a clogged radiator, or a thermostat that's stuck closed. Since there was no thermostat that eliminates that as a cause but makes one wonder why it had been removed.
Had you run/driven the car at all before or after you bought it?
How far was the drive from the garage? What sort of "weird" sounds did you hear?
Did you attempt to flush the engine before installing the new radiator?
Regards.
Alan
Reply
Old Mar 21, 2016 | 07:31 PM
  #7  
stephenmsweigart's Avatar
stephenmsweigart
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From: pa
Default

Originally Posted by Alan 71
Hi sws,
Well it sounds like you didn't have a coolant flow through the radiator.
That could be caused by a faulty water pump, a clogged radiator, or a thermostat that's stuck closed. Since there was no thermostat that eliminates that as a cause but makes one wonder why it had been removed.
Had you run/driven the car at all before or after you bought it?
How far was the drive from the garage? What sort of "weird" sounds did you hear?
Did you attempt to flush the engine before installing the new radiator?
Regards.
Alan

Yea figured that the rad was clogged when I turned it upside down. I test drove the vehicle and it ran really well and the engine had no unusual noises other than that nice rumble of a BB. Upon returning from the garage I drove it apx 20 miles and noticed a rattling noise on the left side thru the driver window. I parked and lifted the hood and the coolant blow was pretty impressive with dark brown water. I left the engine cool about an hour poured some water into the reservoir and started the car. It sounded fine for about 5 minutes than noticed a rattle in the engine and the coolant started to blow again....so shut it down and pulled the rad. If the radiator was clogged, how would I flush the engine?
Reply
Old Mar 21, 2016 | 08:00 PM
  #8  
530planeman's Avatar
530planeman
Drifting
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,866
Likes: 140
From: Sadieville Kentucky
Default

Originally Posted by stephenmsweigart
Yea figured that the rad was clogged when I turned it upside down. I test drove the vehicle and it ran really well and the engine had no unusual noises other than that nice rumble of a BB. Upon returning from the garage I drove it apx 20 miles and noticed a rattling noise on the left side thru the driver window. I parked and lifted the hood and the coolant blow was pretty impressive with dark brown water. I left the engine cool about an hour poured some water into the reservoir and started the car. It sounded fine for about 5 minutes than noticed a rattle in the engine and the coolant started to blow again....so shut it down and pulled the rad. If the radiator was clogged, how would I flush the engine?
you can get a flushing "T" from most any parts store .hook it into one heater hose and then to a garden hose and turn on hose and it should flush most of junk out of engine leave radiator hose off .hope that helps
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Mar 23, 2016 | 01:21 PM
  #9  
stephenmsweigart's Avatar
stephenmsweigart
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From: pa
Default

Originally Posted by 530planeman
you can get a flushing "T" from most any parts store .hook it into one heater hose and then to a garden hose and turn on hose and it should flush most of junk out of engine leave radiator hose off .hope that helps
I purchased an aluminum radiator and noticed a small blue plastic plug on the side.....is this to be used for a hot water solenoid??..if so I guess I could use that and run it into the panel????
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2016 | 04:49 PM
  #10  
mikem350's Avatar
mikem350
Melting Slicks
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,105
Likes: 96
From: Sunrise FL
Default

Originally Posted by stephenmsweigart
I purchased an aluminum radiator and noticed a small blue plastic plug on the side.....is this to be used for a hot water solenoid??..if so I guess I could use that and run it into the panel????
You can NOT use a sensor in the rad. It must be in block or head. I would suggest flushing the block before installing new rad.

Make sure the rad cap is good...or buy new to match your year and if it has the overflow bottle. If cap is leaking or not tight it will cause overheating.

Also ign timing and advance systems (inc vacuum) should be working.

Check fan and clutch also. Should really move a LOT of air at idle!

Last edited by mikem350; Mar 23, 2016 at 04:52 PM.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Temp sensor 454 bb





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:14 PM.

story-0
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-8
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE