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I've read all the previous posts and can't seem to find anything related to my issue!
I'm trying to figure out where this pink wire is supposed to be attached its a pink wire black stripe obviously the green goes to the sending unit for the temp gauge but it only works if the green wire is attached to negative battery cable
Pink/black is fused switched ignition, hot in Start and Run. (unlike some of the other ign ckts which are hot only in Run; those are mostly orange)
You're showing the dash connector there, where it plugs into the cluster. I don't see anything wrong with that. The pink/black in that connector powers ALL the gauges. If ANY of them work, it's OK.
I seem to recall in one of your other threads about this, that you said the gauge pegs when you turn the key to Start. That's good; that's what it's supposed to do; as I said earlier, and someone else did too in some other of your threads about this, that's the equivalent of the "bulb check" in cars that have idiot lights only. That same green wire circuit goes to the ign sw and the green wire gets grounded when the sw is in Start. It verifies that the gauge itself is at least working. So since you already know that, then you also know that everything else in the dash having to do with the temp gauge is also working. So put the dash back together and leave it alone, and do the simple test I keep asking you to do that you haven't done or at least haven't told us the result.
Does the gauge peg when you ground (same as connecting to neg batt cable) the connector out at the end of the green wire (the one that plugs onto the temp gauge sending unit) with the key in Run?
Yes that's me I've tried everything that was recommended to no avail! My thought process for removing the gauge was to make sure the wiring was good and connectors! I honestly can't tell you what it does when I try to start because I've tried so many things at this point I can't even remember
I will start from ground zero and put the dash back together and let you know!
Any help is much appreciated and I hope you can overlook my frustrations I'm a 30 year heavy mechanic and this is really got me confused!
OK, that's good. Let's regroup and do everything in a logical order then.
Put the dash back in and make the following tests:
Does the gauge peg when the key is turned to Start? Yes/No
If No, then there's something wrong with the dash or the car's interior wiring.
If Yes, then you know that the gauge itself is good, the pink/black is hot when it needs to be, and all the wiring is good from the gauge going out toward the sending unit, as far as the steering column (ign sw is at the bottom of the column).
Next test: find the green wire that's supposed to plug into the sending unit. Turn the key to Run. Short (touch) the green wire to a known good ground such as a block or head casting while your assistant watches the gauge. Does the gauge peg? Yes/No
If No, then you have a wiring problem, but not in the dash. Maybe C100; butt far more likely, the wire is broken right behind the terminal out at the very end. You'll have to find the break. Butt, first thing I would do in that case is, just cut the old terminal off and crimp on a new ¼" slide terminal for #18 wire (red barrel); then try again. Keep after it until you find the wiring problem. We can help you with that of course butt it's not likely you'll need to worry about it.
If Yes, then the wire is good all the way out to the end.
At this point, there is only one component in the whole system that hasn't been tested. And that is, the gauge sending unit. It is now THE ONLY thing that can possibly keep your gauge from working. Either it's defective, or it's simply the wrong one (the one for an idiot light will make a gauge read 0 all the time until the engine overheats at which point it will peg), or its shell isn't grounded (very rare) which might be caused by too much Teflon tape on the threads or rust buildup. Note that in 2 out of 3 of these scenarios, you will need a new gauge sending unit. The 3rd scenario is very uncommon but of course not impossible. In any of the 3, you'll have to remove the SU, and it's kinda stoooopid to go to all that trouble (including of course draining the cooling system) and NOT changing it out. So if it gets to this, just go to the store and get a new one, and swap it out. Use about 4 wraps of Teflon tape on the threads, or the Loctite/Permatex "high temp automotive thread sealer with PTFE", and torque it to around 12 ft-lbs.
Yeah I remember this one too. I'm still betting it's a switch. Maybe the heavy teflon or sealant.
let us know how you make out.if you have a sender manufacture and part # we might be able to tell that way. Owning a decent volt/OHM meter is a nessassary!
Didn't you go that route a few times already? I wouldn't keep replacing with same part number. Don't get frustrated, sometimes even the simple issues cause some grief just to keep you on your toes!
How about this easy test. Put an ohm meter lead 1 to threads and lead 2 to screw post. Whats the meter reading in ohms? What is the approximate engine temp? If you have very high or no resistance (OL) it's a switch or maybe just bad. If your reading less than 3000 ohms it's likely a sensor.
if you were putting a ground to green out at the sensor near engine and guage pegs. I would say 99% sure no wiring issue inside. The engine must be grounded for this guage to work. Put one meter on positive batt terminal. Other lead on block. Are you reading >12vdc? If so the engine is grounded. You can also put one lead to threads with it installed and other lead to block or head. You should read less than 2 ohms.
On the other post you had, someone posted a diagram for your system. That vehical came with 2 different options for high coolant temp indication.
Option 1: only has a light on dash when too hot. This will use a switch instead of a sensor. A switch is either on or off. Can look simular to the sensor.
Option 2 has a guage that uses 1 wire sensor. This Can be any resistance value, that value varies with coolant the coolant temp.
so the thought was you might be installing a switch for coolant temp and not a sensor. Did you say this system was swapped from some other vehical?
Roger the part is a sender not a sensor according the manufacturer! Also I removed all the Teflon tape when I moved it from the intake manifold to the block
yes the motor came out of a 95 truck!
That's definatly a sender. So this is 85 camaro. 95 TBI engine converted to carb. I assume it's factory camaro harness? You grounded the black. Put green to 1 wire sender and didn't work. But if you ground green it pegs the guage. Correct?
you will have to start working back though those steps Sofa listed.
I posted on another thread I have completed all the recommended steps and still isn't working! I read through all the suggestions and noticed that someone mentioned a switch. Originally I purchased a sender but just noticed the new part says switch so I may be chasing my tail here!
Thought suggestions anything Lol!!
OK, that's good. Let's regroup and do everything in a logical order then.
Put the dash back in and make the following tests:
Does the gauge peg when the key is turned to Start? Yes/No
If No, then there's something wrong with the dash or the car's interior wiring.
If Yes, then you know that the gauge itself is good, the pink/black is hot when it needs to be, and all the wiring is good from the gauge going out toward the sending unit, as far as the steering column (ign sw is at the bottom of the column).
Next test: find the green wire that's supposed to plug into the sending unit. Turn the key to Run. Short (touch) the green wire to a known good ground such as a block or head casting while your assistant watches the gauge. Does the gauge peg? Yes/No
If No, then you have a wiring problem, but not in the dash. Maybe C100; butt far more likely, the wire is broken right behind the terminal out at the very end. You'll have to find the break. Butt, first thing I would do in that case is, just cut the old terminal off and crimp on a new ¼" slide terminal for #18 wire (red barrel); then try again. Keep after it until you find the wiring problem. We can help you with that of course butt it's not likely you'll need to worry about it.
If Yes, then the wire is good all the way out to the end.
At this point, there is only one component in the whole system that hasn't been tested. And that is, the gauge sending unit. It is now THE ONLY thing that can possibly keep your gauge from working. Either it's defective, or it's simply the wrong one (the one for an idiot light will make a gauge read 0 all the time until the engine overheats at which point it will peg), or its shell isn't grounded (very rare) which might be caused by too much Teflon tape on the threads or rust buildup. Note that in 2 out of 3 of these scenarios, you will need a new gauge sending unit. The 3rd scenario is very uncommon but of course not impossible. In any of the 3, you'll have to remove the SU, and it's kinda stoooopid to go to all that trouble (including of course draining the cooling system) and NOT changing it out. So if it gets to this, just go to the store and get a new one, and swap it out. Use about 4 wraps of Teflon tape on the threads, or the Loctite/Permatex "high temp automotive thread sealer with PTFE", and torque it to around 12 ft-lbs.
So if I have a Yes to both of these conditions @sofakingdom and my needle gets stuck in the housing then what?
If the needle gets stuck, then that's a physical gauge issue. Something slightly bent (pointer slides under/over the stop instead of hitting it squarely for instance) or that sort of thing. Could even be just some schmutz from old age on the pointer or stop.
Yeah the wire was good as I had soldered in a new one about a year ago as it melted on the manifold, replaced the gauge with a NOS one off eBay. Seems not to peg like the other but I wasn't getting a reading off it. Replaced the button style sender too which is probably the original. Now it seems to read on the mark between 220 and 100, I read another post that the tick between those two is a 190-195 degrees.
