I bought a Stewart Warner water temp gauge and sender. I need to use an adapter on the sender, but I'm totally confused. The sender totally bottoms out on the adapter just loosely threading it in by hand. Check the pictures below. The last one shows it threaded in backwards just to show how far it needs to go to even hit any resistance. Is the adapter faulty or am I missing something? The adapters for other sizes work as I would expect, where they get tight with room to spare.



Bottomed out, only loosely threaded in:

 

I guess you are trying to install it in the head? Those longer style ones like that i have always had to put them in the intake. Can i ask why you dont just go buy an oem one that is the correct size?

 

I asked around and everyone said I needed a Stewart Warner sender for a SW gauge. I guess it makes sense since different gauges have different temp ranges, etc. My new one is 100-240 for example.

I'm not happy with SW, first for not including the sender with the gauge, then for charging $20 for it, then for including a messed up adapter that doesn't even work.

 

o ok i thought we where working with a factory gauge.

 

i would take that sending unit to your local lumber yard and go to the pipe fittings and open up the correct fitting... its been so long since i did mine, is it 3/8 npt to 1/4 npt?

anyways if thats not any better i would put some rtv on the threads and that SHOULD seal it. good luck!

 

You can also try Home Depot. They have those adapters in plumbing. Look up what thread your head is and find the right adapter.
If nothing works, your sender probably has a bad taper. But I don't know how probable that is.

 

I believe that is the wrong adapter.

http://services.mercantec.com/Merchant/?m=8756&p1=90125

 

That's the exact kit I have. What do you think is different?

 

Do you have all 3 adapter pieces?
Can you take a picture of them just like the website?
From the pictures you posted I only see one adapter and it doesn't look like the ones in the kit.

 

I'm off to work at the moment, but the adapters are such that you just pick the one you want. The sender is 1/8" NPT and there are adapters to 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 NPT. They can't work with each other. The other two work as expected, with the threads tightening up. Just the one I need, 3/8", goes through and bottoms out.

 

As was suggested take it to Home Depot and try it out there, but you don't want a carbon steel adapter, use a stainless steel, or brass adapter.
Good luck, and let us know what worked. Don't use any thread sealer, or tape.

Raul.

 

The hardware store adapters have the threads near the "entrance" instead of the back side like these. The result is that the sensor bulb is fully contained inside the adapter and only the very tip would touch the coolant. The instructions specifically say that the bulb should be immersed in the liquid.

I have some old Autometer adapters laying around and they look like hardware store adapters. Not sure how it works for them. I don't have a Autometer sender around to look at.

In any case, I called Summit and they sent me out a new kit and everything is right. Bad quality control I guess.