I have been having an issue with the camaro since i put the new engine in it, with the temp gauge slowly but surely rising. At idle, if I let it sit, the temp comes up, I see the tstat open at 180', temp goes down, then continues to climb. This climb increases rapidly with an increase in engine speed. I had installed headers on my B2L engine and never had this problem. But with the new engine, the temp continues to climb.

now here is the thing, I used an infrared thermometer to check temps all over the engine and radiator. The intake manifold, upper, lower hoses, engine block, oil pan even, nothing was over 210', only where I saw temps around 400-450' was at the primary tubes, where the sending unit sits.

I've adjusted fuel pressure to accomodate the new cam, and richen it up a bit, which seems to have helped a bit, but I'm wondering if anyone has has experience with these sending units getting heat soaked? It's a new sending unit.

Or, how common is it for the gauge to fail. Just seems odd, because my old setup did not do this, so I am thinking it's not the gauge and more a tuning issue or a bad sending unit.

Anyway, fire away fellas, any input appreciated.

Will

 

Try moving the gauge sender. Stock its located on the manifold, right before the coolant returns to the rad, away from any source of high heat. My RPM airgap had a threaded port in the same location and my stock sending unit fits and works just fine.

 

 

Not on TPI engines, the sending unit is located on the driver side head between 2 and 4 cyl, the sensor you are refering to is the ECT sensor, located on the front of the manifold.

 

This is a pic straight from my dealer service manual. Its kind of hard to see, but it shows the temp sensor on the front of the engine, a little under the throttle body.

 

Yea, there are three "coolant" sensors total. One for the ECM, which is the one you guys keep pointing out, another on the pass side head which is the fan switch, and the third is for the gauge, on the driver side head

 

I only found the 2 in my manual, the fan switch and that one. I see no other mention of a separate one for the gauge.

 

If you don't have a tuned port motor you probably won't have 3, but this is off topic guys, I'm looking for input, not who's got more coolant sensors and where they're located.