Did a carb swap, and the heads I put in don't have provisions for the drivers side temperature sensor. So i figured instead of drilling and tapping a $500 aluminum head, I would just put the sensor in the carbd intake manifold. Well, figured out that it was too small. So I picked up a sensor from autozone for a 1980 camaro that fits, but now my temp is reading 260. I quickly parked the car and shut it off. It ran at a cool 190ish with a fan switch rigged to constantly run with the TPI, but with the carb it seems to be running hotter.

Will a sensor from 1980 send a different electronic current to the gauge and cause it to read incorrectly, or are sensors all the same? Just wanna make sure I'm not running 200* and reading 260*. Is it typical for a carb motor to run hotter than a TPI motor?

 

This doesn't really answer your question, but have you seen the probes that fit in your radiator between the fins? It may be a bit easier than fussing with electronics made for different vehicles.

 

The probes? Are these inlets for the sensor? Sorry I'm not familiar with these.

 

Use the right sensor for your car, and a pipe bushing to put it in your manifold.