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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Interior & Equipment => Instrumentation => Topic started by: devildogmech on May 27, 2018, 01:12:18 pm

Title: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: devildogmech on May 27, 2018, 01:12:18 pm: Hey all,

The little plastic clip on the wire for my temp gauge disintegrated. I guess 40yrs is a decent service life or a piece of plastic.

Anyway, I cant keep the wire on the sensor terminal without this little clip. I've looked and cant find it anywhere. I'm probably not looking for the right thing.....

Any ideas.

TIA William
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: Irish_Alley on May 29, 2018, 07:40:40 am: what vehicle you working on? reason im asking is the older style should just be a spade connector, the newer style for a tbi would have a plastic connection for the tbi BUT those would only be 31 years old. not saying its not going to be brittle but it wont be 40
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: devildogmech on May 29, 2018, 11:26:48 am: Sorry,

79' C-10 with a 350 SBC.

It is just a spade connector but without the plastic cover clip, the female spade connector just falls off all the time. kinda annoying.

TIA William
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: bd on May 29, 2018, 01:36:17 pm: The connector doesn't retain the wire to the temperature sender. Clamping tension of the terminal retains it.
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: Rapid Roy on May 29, 2018, 01:59:35 pm: I had to replace mine cause it broke. Found replacements here and ordered 2 of them. This is for the nail head sender. Yours could be different. They might have the other types also.

http://www.repairconnector.com/products/GM-Single-Wire-Coolant-Temperature-Sender-Connector.html
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: devildogmech on May 29, 2018, 06:10:40 pm: Quote from: Rapid Roy on May 29, 2018, 01:59:35 pm
I had to replace mine cause it broke. Found replacements here and ordered 2 of them. This is for the nail head sender. Yours could be different. They might have the other types also.

http://www.repairconnector.com/products/GM-Single-Wire-Coolant-Temperature-Sender-Connector.html

That is EXACTLY what I need! Wahoo!!!

Thanks!
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: Rapid Roy on May 30, 2018, 06:19:58 am: You're welcome. I found the site 2 years ago when I needed one. There are other sites that have them that I have seen since then when looking for other parts. It was the first one I found at the time. I think they have a lot of other type connector pigtails, I just haven't needed another yet.
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: Irish_Alley on May 30, 2018, 08:48:49 am: if you dont care about the OEM look you can get away with a female spade connector that you would find in the hardware store
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: Rapid Roy on May 30, 2018, 09:27:50 am: Quote from: Irish_Alley on May 30, 2018, 08:48:49 am
if you dont care about the OEM look you can get away with a female spade connector that you would find in the hardware store

I tried that too and could not keep the connector from spreading too much and not connecting very well. It did work but only for a short time, at least for me.
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: bd on May 30, 2018, 12:46:16 pm: The correct terminal to use is pictured below. The ramp of the terminal applies spring tension to clamp the sender blade. A small raised nib on the terminal ramp engaged a hole in the sender blade to help lock the terminal in place. The plastic connector varied with the style of sender, but the terminal remained constant from year to year throughout the period of square-body production.
Title: Re: Water Temp Sensor Clip
Post by: devildogmech on May 31, 2018, 07:01:30 am: Yes, and mine is 40yrs old and worn out. It keeps sliding off without the plastic retainer. That new retainer comes with a new terminal too.....