I have a 69 Camaro RS/SS with console gauges and the temp gauge is not working properly. I have tried to find the solution on this site but not sure I've seen it so hope this is not a repeat...

I thought the gauge was bad so I bought a new OER gauge from NPD and hooked it up. I have a new sending unit which seems OK, it changes ohms when heated up, goes from around 450 ohms down to 100 or so when I heat it up so that seems to be working.

What happens is that when I have the sending unit hooked up (but not in the head) it doesn't appear to do anything. When I ground the green wire or the sending unit, the gauge gets pegged at Hot and does not return unless I manually move the needle back.

The gauge has a built in resistor but had a fiber piece on the back going from 12 to 6 oclock. I took that off and bolted the gauge in without that fiber piece between the gauge and the holder. Should I have left that fiber piece on? The original gauge didn't have any ground on it but the back holder is grounded to the front holder with a jumper. I have read that the 6 oclock terminal should be grounded. I tried that but it didn't change anything. I'm pretty stupid when it comes to diagnosing electrical so i'm hoping someone can help me out.

Is it pegging to Hot due to the fact that even though I have the green wire connected to the sender, the fact that the sender is not in the head and if I ground it, it's just like grounding the green wire? HELP!

I'm working the same issue...
http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=155003

Sounds similar but mine pegs when you ground the sending wire - doesn't flicker - it pegs it and stays there - even when you turn the key off. I have to manually pull the needle back to get it to the cold side. Also, my fuse is not popping. Still trying to figure this out - any help out there? Thanks!

I'm the 3rd person having problems with my temperature console gauge. I can jump my sending unit and it registers from cold all the way to hot. As I'm driving, however, it does not register the temperature at all...it just stays on cold. I have checked for grounds and fuses and everything is okay. The person did the restoration on the car says that it's just running cold and that it takes a lot for it to register. I took the car on a 15-mile interstate run for the first time since it's been restored and the needle is still on cold, did not even move. I was running 65 to 70 mph, and the temperature in New Orleans that day was 78 degrees. I've owned many cars with gauges and I know that it should be 160 to 180 degrees, not directly on C-Cold. (By the way, the thermostat is a brand new.) I'm as confused as everyone here on what to do and would appreciate any help not only for myself but for the other two gentlemen having the same gauge problem. Thanks and let me know what you find out...Casey

I also have changed 2 sending temp units from Rick's Camaro

Add us to the list. In the Going for the gold car, 3 senders and 2 gauges. New harnesses, new gauges, new sender. I am fricken over it!

NOW, Yesterday I borrowed a new gauge from a friend and tried it (Independant of the other gauges without fully installing it) And it seemed to work. So I ordered ANOTHER gauge.

First one to fix this wins a tee shirt! And I dont need anymore Tee Shirts!

Frank. Where did you get or order the new gauge? I order my stuff from Rick's. It's a new gauge.

I read it as this:
The extra piece on the back of the aftermarket gauge is a shunt, passes most of the current through the circuit, the rest of the current goes through the gauge coil for it to indicate.

The path of current for the gauge circuit starts at the power source to the meter terminal through the coil of the gauge to the other gauge terminal to the thermistor (sending unit) and back to the return side of the power source.

Send me a gauge and a sending unit, I'll be more than happy to take a look into it.

I had an old timer tell me this and I tryed it....I 1st checked my gauge out with a D flashlight battery and it will move the gauge one way or the other depending on how you hook up the battery (pos. or neg. polarity)If I remember right I added additionial grounds to my gauge face and it straightened mine out,I also had ordered a new shunt from Rick's. Mine was pegging out.

Mine are OER gauges. I think they are the only ones who make them

When I talked to OER the other day and told the tech what I was reading with my Fluke meter, he said the gauge should work, but I did need to match the sending unit up with the gauge. As soon as I receive my new one from Matt's I'll try it and post. What pizzes me off if I'm afraid to drive the car until I have a working temp gauge. :mad: Kevin

I think mine is working now. Not sure why I couldn't get it to work with the sender out of the car? I put the new sender in the head last night, grounded the 6 oclock terminal on the gauge and replaced the sending unit wire as the bonehead that owned the car before me had spliced 4 different pieces of wire together and viola! It's worknig! Shouldn't you get it to work though with the sender out of the car by grounding it? It always pegged my gauge. Anyway, this is too much work to get a gauge working! At least it seems good now. I don't think I needed a new gauge so I have a spare if anyone needs one! Good luck to the others. I know this is confusing!

Ours is fixed. We put O Rings between the mounting plate and the gauge and it seems to be working. I am going to verify it agaist a mechanical gauge, but I think it is fixed.

It would sure seem the easiest way to check the gauge would be to take it out and connect it to a 12V source with a varible rheostat that goes from 0 to 600 ohms. Heck for that matter, you wouldn't even have to take the gauge out, just disconnect it and hook it up to the test rig. Take a jumper wire with alligator clips to make sure the gauge is grounded. Then just run a wire from the + side of the battery thru the rheostat (varible resistor-pretty cheap at an electronics store) and then to the gauge. As you turn the wheel on the rheostat, if the gauge is good, the needle will swing.

alan

I also have changed 2 sending temp units from Rick's Camaro

I bought my temp sending unit from Lectric Limited, their part number 01513462 so far I have no problems with it...

http://www.lectriclimited.com/mainpage.htm

Mine's fixed also :hurray: I tried the battery trick, but used a 9 volt and it worked. I put the 9 volts across the terminals, watched the needle peg on H, then reversed polarity and the needle went back to C. I then took a propane torch, heated the sending unit up for just a short time, screwed it into the block and it read about half, then slowly return to C. Thanks Alan :thumbsup: