I changed my cluster so I could have gauges instead of idiot lights but I have run into the problem of not being able to get to the temp sender behind the AC unit. I can't really get a wrench on it and the metal housing the holds the AC and the power steering is keeping me from getting a socket on it. The only way I see now is too take the ac and power steering off but that will be lot of work. Has anyone every change this sender and found an easier way to do it? Thanks!

Take the belt off. Then there's 3 bolts that hold the A/C compressor bracket on and 3 nuts, all 13mm except for the large nut on the front bracket that's 15mm. Slide the A/C compressor forwards and off and then remove the sender. Keep the radiator cap on and leave the last 2 threads of the sender in the engine until you have the new sender ready to go in the hole. DO NOT use sealant on the threads of the new sender as this is how it grounds. Remove the old sender and quickly screw the new one in to limit coolant loss. Reinstall the A/C compressor and the belt. The power steering pump does not need to be touched.

Thanks for explaining it! I'm going to try that out. I thought it looked like the bracket for the AC and power steering was all one piece.

The lowest bolt on the A/C compressor bracket actually bolts to the power steering bracket and not the cylinder head.

i think i used sealant on mine im such a jackass maybe thats why my fans are on all the time?

I think I had all three of those bolts off but when it didn't feel loose I thought it was one piece. I'll have to try it again.

If you're talking about the one in the driver's side cylinder head, that one is for the gauge or light only and that would be why that doesn't work. The fan is either run by the ECM off of the coolant temperature sensor next to the thermostat housing or by a secondary switch in the rear corner of the pass side cylinder head. With the fan on all of the time, it could be a number of things... A/C pressure switch, bad coolant temp sensor, grounded relay or bad connection at relay or secondary switch, etc.

Did you remember to remove the bolt in the back of the compressor that holds it to the plenum bracket?

yep drivers side idk what happened cause my car was running hot i guess one of the wires to the fan relay was cut before so i taped it up. then i had problems with the thermostat so i took it off. my gauges broke so i bought the 20 dollar one at advance the aftermarket mechanical ones. i cant afford to replace the factory ones at the moment. and car runs at like 130-150 degrees according to the gauge

I might have missed that one. I'm going to check it out today and see if I can find all of them.

You should put another thermostat in there after changing the coolant (pull the drain plugs out of the sides of the block as well)... You're killing your engine's efficiency and gas mileage without one.

Well I got it in, and I changed the thermostat while I had it off. Thanks!

By the way, is the 2nd mark of the factory gauge 160*? But I put a 195* thermostat in and its running at the 2nd mark. I wonder what else could be keeping the temp down.

I'm not sure about the Camaro cluster, but halfway up mine is 180... And it never gets there. See about using an IR thermometer on the intake below the t-stat to find out how it's running.

ok i figured out why i need the t-stat without one u can wear parts warp or distort the heads and cause sludge. im going to UTI, started this week. We were going over that in class how engines need to operate at certain temperatures to work more efficiently and how much faster parts can wear the cooler the temperature of the coolant.

They're filling you with BS... Oil breaks down at high temperatures, which is why most people tend to run an OIL cooler if they want to do anything with high-performance and/or towing, and also why the transmission has an oil cooler in the radiator and so does the power steering fluid (the loop at the bottom of the radiator is called a cooler). Besides, engines actually build more power at colder temps due to the denser air. What they were telling you is that the engines BURN THE FUEL more efficiently at higher temps (to a point). Which is why most high-performance apps call for leaner fuel mixtures, which increase cylinder temperatures and increase NOx and CO emissions.

Basically, the cooler you can keep the metals, the happier they are. What they also didn't tell you was basic metallurgy, which I took in a machining class... Heat is used to change the molecular structure of metals, be it making them stronger or weaker, and combining them with other metals or elements to make stronger alloys. So, the higher the heat, the more chance of damage (breakdown of molecular structure of oil, molecular structure of metal engine parts) and higher emissions (which is what they were cautioning you about).

:edit: But, yes, you need to run a t-stat to keep your engine and the ECM happy, and also the smog nazis. And keep the engine as clean as possible inside and out, to keep the heat flowing where it belongs (the oil, the coolant, and the exhaust) to avoid damage.

yep i get ya. well got it on today and now my car turns off everytime i brake. must have moved something around. but at least i dont gotta worry about messing anything else up. now i gotta figure out the fan prob.

Check that you reconnected all of your vacuum hoses. If you're losing power instead, check to make sure a wire didn't get pinched somewhere when you put things back together or that something didn't get to short out on the exhaust.

i had mechanical gauges installed so i would have needed a fan switch to turn the fans off and on. now i want to remove them and use the original temp sender but cant seem to find the wire to it. any help?

Your 86 didn't need a switch for the fans... They're either computer controlled or there is a bypass switch in the back of the passenger's side head. Either way, the wire for the coolant temp sensor should be coming out of the harness somewhere near the power steering pump or A/C compressor (should you still have it). It's a green wire with a single connector.

oh i see what i did wrong, i got the temp sensor instead of sender which goes by the water pump in front of the engine and has a totally different connection. i woulda never found the connection. now i gotta get the sender/switch i think is what is called.