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Does anyone know the part # for a 1986 305ci temperature gauge sending unit? It is the one between cylinder 1 & 3, I have replaced it but now my gauge is reading about 40 deg higher.
Typically that means that the old one was reading 40 degrees too low.
The temp gauge sending unit electrical properties have been the same since the 50s that I know of. IOW you can take the stock sending unit for a car from the 80s and it will make a 57 Chevy gauge read right.
You can check its accuracy with an infrared thermometer. About $20 at HF.
I went to Auto Zone yesterday for my 88 IROC with a 5.7L and they kept coming up with a sensor that had a spade connector at the end of it and mine is a slide on. They went back to 78 and found a possible 1, but I said that I wanted to do some research to make sure it was the right part since it wasn't even for our generation Camaro. I know that the part has been around with the same configuration for decades, but something wasn't sitting right with me because of that stupid connector not matching what was in my car. I'll be searching for that part # here shortly unless someone finds it and posts it here.
The connector on the wire in our cars will fit either the spade type on the sending unit (NOT a "sen-sore") or the mushroom style.
Some cars have (had) connectors that only fit the spade.
Therefore the spade type sending unit is more "universal".
Either style of sending unit works fine in our cars. Of course there's the issue of the threads, as well as the electrical non-issues; our cars have heads with holes of the mid-70s-up style that is 3/8" NPT, whereas the earlier style heads had ½" NPT.
I changed my sensor to the one with the spade conector , the stock wire worked for both button and spade sensor. Temp gauge now reads the correct tempersture.
I changed mine to the 1 with the spade connector and now my gauge goes from cold to way past overheating. At least the last sending unit rear a little bit above cold but would bounce on occasion. I guess it's time to check out the wiring to make sure that wire is good as it makes no sense for it to go straight from cold to past overheating with nothing in between. And the fans and thermostat both open/turn on at the same time and the car never seems to overheat.
That’s what I was thinking as I don’t believe there’s anything between the sending unit and the gauge right? So, as long as the sensor is a sending unit and my instrument cluster has a coolant temperature gauge everything should work correctly right?
