Lies from temp gauge

[PhilipC]

My dash temp readout has started telling me porkies. It started occasionally dropping to about 50 from 70-ish and back up a while ago, but it was completely transient and fell into the "must look at that when the rain stops" category.

However, it's now refused to rise above about 50 for most of this week. The fans still kick in, and the swirl tank is certainly hot at the bottom (which is where I think the sender is). The gauge rises to 50, though, so it's not a completely failed connection to the sender.

Last night it did kick back up to about 90 as I was pulling back into the garage. It's a communal garage without a concrete lip, and going over the street cobbles doesn't fix it, so I assume it's not a physical obstruction onin the gauge. Probably just random "it works" syndrome, but you never know...

Any ideas are welcome - I've got a multimeter with me, but the bible's back in North Yorks. If anyone knows what sort of voltage drop I should be seing at the sender or the gauge then I can check that out.

PS: Am I right about where the sender is? Bottom of the swirl tank, sticking out towards the passenger wing where it looks a sod to get at with a hot engine...

[jonnyb]

The sender at the bottom of the swirl tank is the otter switch for the fans (on - off). The temp sender is on the front of the engine just behind the water pump (Serp eng) its at the end of a piece of pipe. Your problem sounds more like a connecton problem.

[k4trv]

Hi PillipC,

Attached thread (sorry, eggs & grannies !!), has info on where the "spare" temp sender is - it does have a different connector tho'.

Trev McM

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=63791&f=8&h=0&hw=temp+sender

[shpub]

It also needs a trimming resistor to calibrate it for the gauge. May not be there BTW...

[M@H]

Otter switch location descrined in 1st post... this is not the temp sender as already mentioned:





Cheers
Matt


>> Edited by M@H on Thursday 5th February 13:22