73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Interior & Equipment => Instrumentation => Topic started by: hondarider188 on January 21, 2013, 06:20:38 pm
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I have a 1983 chevy k10 with a a 5.7L engine my temperauter guage didnt work at all when i got the truck. i found a wire hanging on the side of the Head and i saw a plug right next to it so i hooked them up, and then my temp. gauge maxed out. So i believe it is shorting out somewhere and would it have to be in the switch since it wasnt maxed out before? So just need a new switch, right?
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Playing it safe, can you post a pic of what the 'wire' is plugged into? Describe what the gauge does when you unplug the 'wire' while the ignition is ON.
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Just pointing out a safety tip here. In the future if you do not know what a wire is or a plug next to the wire, it is safer to find out first before just plugging things together and turning on your truck.
We do not want to find out that your truck caught on fire. :'(
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I agree with the posts above, you might share a photo of what you have. It could be simply a bad temp sending unit or the wrong year sending unit, but since you asked more information would be nice.
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heres a picture of the wire and gauge, It is on the driver side of the engine. I was about 90% sure that they did go together Because the wire was hanging beside it not removed or pulled back, and it is a different connection because it has to slide down on top of it and i didnt see any others anywhere that were like it.
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Several points to be addressed in sequence.
Verify the following...
- Unplug the green wire with the key ON - the temp gauge needle should drop all the way to the left to Cold.
- With the wire still unplugged and the key still ON, jump the green wire to a good ground - the gauge should pin to the right well past Hot.
If the gauge responds as above, replace the sending unit. Be sure to pick up a sender for gauges (it's different than the switch used with idiot lights).
If the gauge does not respond as above, update us.
- The green sender wire is too close to the exhaust - the insulation will burn and become brittle. Move it to the other side of the valve cover next to the intake and drop it straight down to the sender.
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Ok thanks bd ill try and get to it tomorrow and what do you mean by the other side of the valve cover exactly. Do you mean to run it along the other hand screws by the carb and down to the a/c condsensor and around or ?
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...what do you mean by the other side of the valve cover exactly. Do you mean to run it ... by the carb and down...
I think you're getting the idea... just make sure it doesn't interfere with the carb linkages or throttle cable connection. You need to reroute the wire away from the exhaust.
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OK i might have to splice in some more wire though i don't think that it is long enough. It doesn't seem to close to me though it has probably about 2" on each side. And if i do need to reroute it where do i take it from around the exhaust
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I'll try to snap a pic tonight (and post tomorrow) to give you an idea of the routing. You shouldn't have to extend the wire to use the factory routing.
The wire is too close to the header as it crosses over the two center tubes.
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all right im starting to see more of what you mean, ill look for the pic tomorrow so i can get it done. thanks
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See how the green temp sender wire drops down over the valve cover, just forward of the oil filler cap. That's a fairly common routing on the small block. An alternative is to run it around the front end of the valve cover then down, but that would require lengthening the wire.
You may need to anchor the wire to the intake at the point it makes the 90 turn over the top of the valve cover.
(Image courtesy of Lt.Del)
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All right that seems to clear things up a bit more. So i want to run it along where the valve cover and intake manifold meet and once a i reach down to where the oil fill cap is make a 90 over top of the cover and straight down to the sending unit. that is about how mine is now except instead of running all the way to the oil cap it just jumps straight across about where it would line of with the master cylinder.
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I did the test that bd had suggested and the gauge didnt react at all. So could it be grounding somewhere else or is it just the gauge?
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I'm trying to understand what you're telling us. So with the ignition switched ON, when unplugging the sender the gauge doesn't move left to cold? Then grounding the sender to a known good ground (key still ON) the sender doesn't move all the way right, past hot? In both cases the gauge doesn't move at all? That contradicts your first post...
...my temperauter guage didnt work at all when i got the truck. i found a wire hanging on the side of the Head and i saw a plug right next to it so i hooked them up, and then my temp. gauge maxed out....
Did you make any changes to the green sender wire besides rerouting it?
What does the gauge do if you plug the green wire back into the sender?
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Ok sorry about the confusion and yes all i did was plug in the wire to the sender. The gauge didnt work at all when i got the truck and when i hooked it up it maxed out past hot. Yet when i unplug it nothing happens, so im not really sure but ill try the test again to make sure. Another strange thing did happen with it today, so when i started the truck the gauge was still maxed out past hot then a minute later it dropped down to cold, then a while later on the road went up over hot and after that dropped down just barely below the half way point which was pretty corresponding to my aftermarket i hooked up as a temporary. moments later back down to cold and hasn't moved since. so im not really sure whats going on.
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Let's try a different approach...
Go to Radio Shack and purchase a 100-ohm, 1/2-watt resistor (they cost about $1.50 for 5). Unplug the wire from the sender and insert the resistor between the wire and a good ground. Switch the ignition ON and the gauge should register exactly half-way between cold and hot. Drive it around with the resistor installed and the gauge should remain stable at mid-scale. If it does, replace the sender. If it doesn't, you either have intermittent connections or a bad gauge.
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sorry i havnt been able to do the test that you mentioned. But i think that i either have a bad sending unit or a bad connection. When i hook up a jumper wire sometimes it does react to it and other times it doesnt so its just kind of a chance that it will work. and the same thing happens when the gauge is hooke up to the sending unit, so what i mean by that is nearly all the time the gauge is maxed out when im running, but sometimes when i am going down the road all of a sudden it will pop up to a little ways above cold yet im running at full temperature. One more thing i should mention that i dont think i did before was that when i turn the key on it goes way beyond the max to the full extent and then when the key is turned off i can watch it go back up to say a neutral position which is about 1/4" past the Hot mark. Sorry for all of the information at once but i want to make sure you guys realize everything that is going on with it at the moment.
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ok my next question is where do i get the same engine temp. gauge at i have looked at and classic parts but i dont see the same sending unit with the same type of connection. I do think that im going to start with the sending unit since its the cheapest. like i said in my last post i believe that the connector for the wire to the unit is bad, because it looks like it has been melted like it fell down onto the headers at one point. is the sending unit a water temp. unit or does the get the temp. off of engine oil.http://www.classicparts.com/Switches/products/369/8/0 (http://www.classicparts.com/Switches/products/369/8/0) or is it one of those sending units? thanks
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Let's try a different approach...
Go to Radio Shack and purchase a 100-ohm, 1/2-watt resistor (they cost about $1.50 for 5). Unplug the wire from the sender and insert the resistor between the wire and a good ground. Switch the ignition ON and the gauge should register exactly half-way between cold and hot. Drive it around with the resistor installed and the gauge should remain stable at mid-scale. If it does, replace the sender. If it doesn't, you either have intermittent connections or a bad gauge.
Apologies for not contributing to the thread, but I'd like to ask how you know to do something like this. It's absolutely brilliant!
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does anyone know where i can get the correct sending unit and the connector.
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83 K10 5.7L w/gauges:
This temp sender (http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Duralast-Temperature-Switch/1983-Chevrolet-K10-1-2-ton-P-U-4WD/_/N-iklogZ91shz?itemIdentifier=129205_77401_10199_5673) and either one of the "PT261" or "PT1043" AC-Delco Connectors (http://www.acdelcotechconnect.com/pi/wiring-connectors/gm/pigtails/1-cavity/female/) pictured in this list (or similar connector) should work for you.
Replacement temperature senders have changed appearance since they were originally installed in our trucks. The difference in appearance is not important. You just need to make sure the sender is made for a gauge and not a warning light.
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thanks bd but if your right about it being the same sending unit, but a different apperance then getting the original connector wont matter. but thanks for the link anyway the PT1043 is the exact one i would need.http://www.classicparts.com/Switches/products/369/8/0 (http://www.classicparts.com/Switches/products/369/8/0) so product number 53-819 on the second to last row. would be the correc sending unit?
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...so product number 53-819 on the second to last row. would be the correct sending unit?
Part number 53-819 is the wrong sending unit...
P/N 53-819 (1/2" - 14 pipe thread) is for big block applications!
You need P/N 53-821 (http://www.classicparts.com/1979-92-Water-Temp-Sender-w_-Gauges/productinfo/53-821/#.USgnj6LMCSol) on Classic Parts' website. The Chevy/GMC small block 350 uses a 3/8" - 18 pipe thread sending unit.
Be prepared to lose a little coolant. Install the sending unit with 2 wraps of Teflon tape and a smear of Teflon paste on the threads. Be careful not to over-tighten the sender with excessive torque, or you could damage it internally. Just get it good and snug with a ratchet & socket or box wrench. Be sure to refill the cooling system and check for leaks when you're done.
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Let's try a different approach...
Go to Radio Shack and purchase a 100-ohm, 1/2-watt resistor (they cost about $1.50 for 5). Unplug the wire from the sender and insert the resistor between the wire and a good ground. Switch the ignition ON and the gauge should register exactly half-way between cold and hot. Drive it around with the resistor installed and the gauge should remain stable at mid-scale. If it does, replace the sender. If it doesn't, you either have intermittent connections or a bad gauge.
Apologies for not contributing to the thread, but I'd like to ask how you know to do something like this. It's absolutely brilliant!
Roger, sorry for the delay. All the information is available in our Technical Pages.
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ok thanks bd i was just getting ready to order me the 1/2" unit. but i think i am going to order it through classic industries instead just because they have a few other things i need that classic parts doesnt, so this way i dont pay shipping twice. and ill post a link to just to douple check it the right one(3/8").
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never mind about that last post i finally did find the other part i needed at classic parts. so thanks for the help i will let you know when i get it ordered, put in and the results.