I recently bought a 1984 Camaro Berlinetta with a Goodwrench 350 swap. I was told little information about the car but the body and interior are in great shape for Vermont so I decided to buy it. My temp gauge on the dash does absolutely nothing when you start the car. The sensor connector near the thermostat housing was melted to I patched the wires and I still get nothing from the gauge. I also hear bubbling when I shut the car off once it has warmed up. My coolant level does not seem to go down though so I don't think its head gaskets. Any suggestions

 

Don't know if you have Carb, Tpi or Tbi but, I thought the Temp Gauge Sending Unit thing was in the block, on the driver side by sp1. The actual Coolant Temp Sensor is located "near the thermostat housing" on my 92 Tbi car... Got a pic? Are you checking the right part?

 

Temp gauge sending unit is in the driver's side head, between the #1 and #3 spark plugs. The car side is a dark green wire. It's been exactly that since the small block Chevy was introduced in 1955. Pretty easy really. Make sure the dark green wire plugged into the temp gauge sending unit. (NOT a [mr spock]"sen-sore"[/mr spock]

 

The sensor on the thermostat is (should be ) for the ECM .-------> unless someone installed a temp gauge sending unit in there when swapping the engine. I've seen people do it, not a good place for a temp sensor !

When the key is turned to RUN: Touch the Dark GREEN wire these guys are telling you about to ground. When you do your temp gauge should climb to the top of the scale. If it does; that means your gauge's wiring is properly connected, not cut/spliced/burnt-out, & that the cluster printed circuit is OK too. The sending unit itself - the gauge itself - might be the problem.

If the gauge doesn't climb to the top of the scale (when key is turned to RUN and dark GREEN wire is grounded ) then either the wiring is bad, the printed circuit on the cluster is bad, or the gauge itself is bad.

 

Okay, I grounded the wire and the gauge went up and the coolant temp light came on on the dash so that tells me the sending unit is bad? If I take the sending unit out will coolant leak?

 

Yes,..... Coolant will leak.

 

Coolant will do more than just "leak". You'll basically get a bath.

Consider it a good opportunity to do any other cooling system maintenance you may have been deferring... full drain & flush (including the block drain plugs), radiator & heater hoses, new radiator or heater core, water pump, thermostat, whatever. Might as well make the mess only once.