Factory Gauges

Goofyexponent · Jul 16, 2010

I can't seem to figgure this one out.

My factory temperature gauge is erratic, and NEVER hardly comes above the cold mark. Today, I got off my lazy ass and installed my new mechanical water temperature gauge, and it reads between 190 and 195 from the factory temperature location. Normal.

I isolated the wiring to the factory temperature sender about a month ago, running a new wire in past the engine harness plug hoping this would solve the problem, but it didn't amke a difference.

Now, with the factory wiring disconnected, I am STILL getting a reading on my factory gauge. The wire is taped up, ziptied up and away from any ground source...what else should I be looking for?

freebird01 · Jul 16, 2010

sounds like the gauge itself is *****...or maybe i thought there is a resistor somewhere that feeds the cluster that goes bad

all my gauges are goofy...my fuel gauge on the front tank doesnt work...the rear one kinda works but isnt accurate....oil pressure doesnt work...volt meter doesnt work....the temp gauge comes up slightly and thats it....my tach is epileptic...

my speedo works thats about it....i got a mechanical water temp and oil pressure gauge...one of these days im gunna yank them all out for autometer gauges but that may be awhile

wils2527 · Jul 16, 2010

You know that is a good question, I have been wondering that same thing. Hopefully someone has a solution to this issue.

Goofyexponent · Jul 16, 2010

wils2527 said:
You know that is a good question, I have been wondering that same thing. Hopefully someone has a solution to this issue.

My solution was a triple A pillar gauge pod with volt, water temp and oil pressure gauges....but it would still be nice to have the factory ones work...well, work to the best of their ability :sly

Diesel_brad · Jul 16, 2010

They are not gauges, they are indicators. **** POOR ONES AT THAT

icanfixall · Jul 16, 2010

All my factory questionablr gauges work plus all my other 6 Isspro gauges. I moved the factory coolant sender to the top of the waterpump. Its a tight fit with the Banks crd adapter but it wiil fit. I found a shoulderless pipe thread bushing from a forced air heater. Thats how it fits but... Don't think your going to remove it easily. There isn't any wrench hex to grab ahold of. This location is the pump return to the motor after it has gone thru the radiator. So you know its going to show a cooler temp... Like maybe the N or the O but never much higher than that. My Aluminum radiator keeps things down around 190 most of the time and yes... I know thats really lower than it should be...

franklin2 · Jul 16, 2010

The sending unit for the temp gauge is underneath the A/C compressor, getting close to the waterpump area.

The overtemp switch is located out on the driver's side front corner of the head.

Both of these are hooked to the temp gauge. The sending unit works the gauge up and down normally, and the overtemp gauge will peg the gauge to hot when it trips at I have heard about 230 degrees give or take.

So both sets of wiring could cause the gauge to read erratically as well as either sending unit/switch.

Your factory gauge could be still working if you mistakenly put your aftermarket gauge into the overtemp switch port.

icanfixall · Jul 16, 2010

The large overtemp switch in the drivers side head closes or grounds out at 242 degrees... Not 230... To test if it works remove the wire and ground it. Watch the dash gauge peg way over past the "L" in normal...

Goofyexponent · Jul 17, 2010

Well, I tried all that, and nothing seems to work. I think that there must be another connection/plug that is all screrwed up or corroded.

I hauled the factory sender out for a good reason, I want to know cylinder head temperature, I MAY install another in the water pump to get the "cooled" water temperature. I plan on spending some $$ on this truck ofer the summer, I want to get oil temp, trans temp and a pyrometer put in it by the middle of next month....however, I am not looking forward to installing the oil temperature sender...removing the engine fr the oil pan and all.

franklin2 · Jul 17, 2010

Goofyexponent said:
Well, I tried all that, and nothing seems to work. I think that there must be another connection/plug that is all screrwed up or corroded.

I hauled the factory sender out for a good reason, I want to know cylinder head temperature, I MAY install another in the water pump to get the "cooled" water temperature.

If you installed your new gauge in the head, you factory gauge is still working, because the "sending unit" was mounted to the hole closer to the center of the engine. You took out the overtemp switch.

Goofyexponent · Jul 17, 2010

franklin2 said:
If you installed your new gauge in the head, you factory gauge is still working, because the "sending unit" was mounted to the hole closer to the center of the engine. You took out the overtemp switch.

Looking at what you said, you would br right if my truck wasn't tampered with. Someone switched sending units, because when I did my wiring harness swap, I plugged them in accordingly as if everything was fine, and the overtemp light came on. The senders were reversed at one point, and I never switched them back.

I pulled the over temp switch out of the gauge sender's hole and it reads 244*F on the side of the switch.....it's definitly the over temp switch in the gauge sender's factory hole.

This means that my overtemp wire is hooked up to the over temp switch, but it is in the wrong hole...not sure why. cookoo

icanfixall · Jul 17, 2010

As I'm reading all this something stands out... No way can the factory over temp switch fit into the coolant temp location... The switch in the heads is too large to fit. You can bush up the dash gauge switch to fit the head location... I'm thinking someone before you installed the wrong switches. The large switch in the head will have 242 degrees printed on it.. Not 244 degrees... Find a quality dealer either Ford or International and get the correct senders.... I'm sure you have the wrong ones now that I have reread your postings... Hope this helps... Maybe you can "find" these switches in a wrecking yard... :sly

Goofyexponent · Jul 17, 2010

icanfixall said:
As I'm reading all this something stands out... No way can the factory over temp switch fit into the coolant temp location... The switch in the heads is too large to fit. You can bush up the dash gauge switch to fit the head location... I'm thinking someone before you installed the wrong switches. The large switch in the head will have 242 degrees printed on it.. Not 244 degrees... Find a quality dealer either Ford or International and get the correct senders.... I'm sure you have the wrong ones now that I have reread your postings... Hope this helps... Maybe you can "find" these switches in a wrecking yard...

I am willing to bet I already have the correct switches. I have a spare, un-molested IDI with a mere 70 000 or so miles on it...I think I am going switch and sensor hunting tomorrow!

Drives me nuts that people would just stick whatever works in there. I used to be like that, but now that I see what problems it causes...I try to use the right stuff....hence the new mechanical gauges, replacing the cheapo ones I had originally installed a year ago.

ANYONE HAVE A PYRO FOR SALE? Must be complete and ready to go!

Agnem · Jul 19, 2010

I don't have the schematic in front of me, but to the best of my recolection from converting the Night Moose which has your style cluster, the temp gauge is fed with 12 volt from the gauge cluster itself, and this then goes through a resistor the value of which I don't know for sure but might be around 22 ohm, then the ground side of the gauge goes to the sender, which provides the reference signal. The oil presure guage is in fact a switch, but I'm pretty sure the temp gauge is not a switch on any model year. A gauge that still reads above cold when the wiring is disconnected, indicates a short somewhere in the wiring, or as was stated the armature in the gauge may be stuck. I have a gasser cluster you can have for your model year that you could steal the gauge out of if this is the case.

rhkcommander · Jul 24, 2010

been wondering how to fix this myself. ocassionally my tach gauge will bounce but usually sits at 0, volt sticks but if i pound the dash enough it will start moving, oil pressure always reads low

only gauges that kinda work are speedo, fuel, and voltage. maybe temp as if i drive for a while it goes to the middle but otherwise is on low

I'm still learning alot here, so any tips on how to fix that stuff are much obliged. I have been told the tach has a wire that goes in, and probably slipped out. Same case for the voltage? I have the cluster ready to come out...

Factory Gauges

Goofyexponent

Mentally Unstable..

freebird01

Post Turtle!

wils2527

Dumb Engineer

Goofyexponent

Mentally Unstable..

Diesel_brad

Dunce

icanfixall

Official GMM hand model

franklin2

Full Access Member

icanfixall

Official GMM hand model

Goofyexponent

Mentally Unstable..

franklin2

Full Access Member

Goofyexponent

Mentally Unstable..

icanfixall

Official GMM hand model

Goofyexponent

Mentally Unstable..

Agnem

Using the Force!

rhkcommander

Full Access Member

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