Crazy temp gauge

[clinche]

i am faced with an erratic temp gauge...

while cruising temp needle starts flickering from 0 to 175..it could stay stable for 5 mins on 175F and suddenly it freaks out on me..

i have good voltage to the gauge and performed a test on the gauge and it worked fine (jump wire between ground and sender and needle went all the way to the right hand side)..

is the temp sender the culprit? how can i fix this problem?

thanks

 

[clinche]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

i need to remove the temp sender so i refered to the user manual. first instruction is to remove coolant from closed cooling system however my engine is raw water cooled (5.7 ltr 2bbl).

Do i have to drain any water or can i just remove the sender from the stat?

Thanks

 

[TowRoper]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

you can just remove it, but you could get some water coming out but wont be much.

 

[clinche]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

you can just remove it, but you could get some water coming out but wont be much.

thanks

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

Just remember NOT to put any sealant on the threads of the sending unit. Otherwise, you will isolate it electrically from the block and will not get a temperature reading. Some mechanics do use a metallic-based sealant, but usually there is no need. Hy

 

[clinche]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

service manual suggests to apply loctite pipe sealant with teflon to the threads of sender...so this is not needed?

 

[Peter1950]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

Erratic gauge often means bad ground. Usually at the gauge.

 

[clinche]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

Erratic gauge often means bad ground. Usually at the gauge.

Ground at gauge is good. Could it be the ground of the sender to the thermo?

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

Ground at gauge is good. Could it be the ground of the sender to the thermo?

Quite possible...you can try backing it out, and then retorqueing it back in place. And make sure that the wire is clean and tight!

Happy boating!

 

[Bondo]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

Ayuh,... Has the T-Stat been changed lately,..??
Was the riveted gasket used,..??

Btw,... It's the Tape that isn't reccommended for sealing,...
Use of sealant Paste Is though....

 

[clinche]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

yes termo & gasket have been replaced however i have no clue on what type of gasket he used..could this cause a problem?

sorry for the late answer

 

[Bondo]

Re: Crazy temp gauge

Ayuh,... The proper gaskets have brass grounding rivets in them....