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Temp gauge troubleshoot/good aftermarket temp gauge


craaaazzy

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hi guys,

i'm having issues w/ my stock temp gauge. i'm an electrical noob so any help would be great. stock gauge does nothing.

went through the following troubleshooting steps.

-removed the wire from the sender and touched to ground, nothing

-removed cluster and installed the "additional" ground from the cluster, nothing

-checked the ground from negative battery to chassis and it was good and tight.

i'm about to give up on the stock temp gauge and simply buy an aftermarket one. what a good one that is fairly inexpensive? i'm assuming i have to match the gauge and the sensor or can i simply use the stock sensor? if i need an aftermarket sensor, will it plug directly into the stock sensor location? thanks guys.

fred

my project blog:

craaaazzy's 2002 project

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Got a meter? Without one you are poking about in the dark.

If you have one, do the following:

1. Check for continuity between the sensor connector and terminal 11 on the 12 pin connector at the instrument cluster.

2. With the ignition on, check for 12VDC between pin 6 and ground.

If you don't have continuity, the wire is broken between the 12 pin connector and sender.

If you have continuity and voltage, the gauge is bad.

Your stock sender will work accurately with a VDO 250 degree gauge.

Good luck!

Fritz Bimmer

72 Golf

73 Chamonix

66 P car

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Got a meter? Without one you are poking about in the dark.

If you have one, do the following:

1. Check for continuity between the sensor connector and terminal 11 on the 12 pin connector at the instrument cluster.

2. With the ignition on, check for 12VDC between pin 6 and ground.

If you don't have continuity, the wire is broken between the 12 pin connector and sender.

If you have continuity and voltage, the gauge is bad.

Your stock sender will work accurately with a VDO 250 degree gauge.

Good luck!

unfortunately no volt meter. looking at northern tools, they have one for $13. i might as well double that and buy the VDO gauge though...

my project blog:

craaaazzy's 2002 project

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fail very often.

Harbor Freight has multimeters on sale currently for $3.99 and they work well for automotive use; if you're gonna troubleshoot automotive electrics they're pretty vital.

Things you can check on your gauge assy without a voltmeter: make sure the positive terminal on top of the temp sender is nice and clean; and since the sender grounds through the threads, you might also want to lower the coolant level a bit in the radiator, unscrew the sender and clean both the sender threads and those they screw into. Brass sender; aluminum water manifold=dissimilar corrosion.

Also check the archives for adding an additional ground between the temp gauge and the body--the original ground isn't all that reliable.

And get a multimeter! It'll teach you a lot...

cheers

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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1. Check for continuity between the sensor connector and terminal 11 on the 12 pin connector at the instrument cluster.

ok, am getting a volt meter later on today but how do i perform this test? do i simply put the bolt meter between the sensor connector and terminal 11? it should probably read the same as when i touch both leads of the meter together, right? also, which is terminal 11? is the connector numbered? have not looked at it in that much detail. thanks.

my project blog:

craaaazzy's 2002 project

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Disconnect the sensor wire from the sensor and connect one lead from your meter to the sensor wire and the other meter lead to terminal 11 on the 12 pin plug. You may need to add a length of wire to reach. Set the meter for continuity check or resistance (ohms).What you are doing is completing a loop thru your meter. You should read little to no resistance or hear a tone if on continuity check.

wiring diagram attached for pin location

2002NAtyp.pdf

Fritz Bimmer

72 Golf

73 Chamonix

66 P car

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and the mystery continues.

i checked the wire from the sensor to pin 11 and there is continuity.

also checked pin 6 to ground and there is continuity as well (even w/ the key in the off position though).

now i want to check the sensor. how would i do that? should i not be getting a reading when putting the meter between the sensor and ground, when the motor is up to temp? or should i go to the positive side of battery instead of ground?

my project blog:

craaaazzy's 2002 project

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Does your brake test light work? Temp gauge power comes in on pin 6 as does power for the test light. You should read 12 volts DC between pin 6 and chassis ground with the key on.

If you have power at pin 6, chances are that your gauge is shot but if you remove the gauge you can test it for sure.

I'll send a scan of the removal/test pages from the manual when the wife gets off the other computer.

Don't give up!

Fritz Bimmer

72 Golf

73 Chamonix

66 P car

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