Aftermarket Temp Gauges

bruhaw · July 22, 2011

Has anyone installed an aftermarket electrical temp gauge that works with stock wiring? I was having problems with inaccurate readings (fluctuations) so I bought an Autometer electric gauge and wired up using stock wiring. The gauge works but is reading a little over 100 degrees and that was with the engine cold right after I fired it up. Got all the way up to almost 250. So, I put the stock gauge back on and it read correctly - right around 194-200. I then put the new Autometer back on and just hooked up the ignition and ground and it read nothing. Put the sending unit wire on and the reading was still high. Unfortunately, I will have to get adapters to get the new Autometer sending unit to work as the adapters they give you won't work and the sending unit itself is just a bit too small to fit. I was hoping it might work as I put in an Autometer oil pressure gauge and didn't have to buy any fittings. The sending unit actually screwed right into the block and it was easy. So, any ideas on what I can do with the stock wiring or am I destined to running a new wire along with getting adapters to get this to work. Autometer gauge is part#5837 which is 2 5/8" and I will have to round out the hole in the dash some more to get it to fit nicely.

July 22, 2011

Has anyone installed an aftermarket electrical temp gauge that works with stock wiring? I was having problems with inaccurate readings (fluctuations) so I bought an Autometer electric gauge and wired up using stock wiring. The gauge works but is reading a little over 100 degrees and that was with the engine cold right after I fired it up. Got all the way up to almost 250. So, I put the stock gauge back on and it read correctly - right around 194-200. I then put the new Autometer back on and just hooked up the ignition and ground and it read nothing. Put the sending unit wire on and the reading was still high. Unfortunately, I will have to get adapters to get the new Autometer sending unit to work as the adapters they give you won't work and the sending unit itself is just a bit too small to fit. I was hoping it might work as I put in an Autometer oil pressure gauge and didn't have to buy any fittings. The sending unit actually screwed right into the block and it was easy. So, any ideas on what I can do with the stock wiring or am I destined to running a new wire along with getting adapters to get this to work. Autometer gauge is part#5837 which is 2 5/8" and I will have to round out the hole in the dash some more to get it to fit nicely.

You shouldn't need to change the wiring but you will have to use the sensor that came with the gauge.

LEnny

bruhaw · July 22, 2011

You shouldn't need to change the wiring but you will have to use the sensor that came with the gauge.

LEnny

bruhaw · July 22, 2011

Lenny, thanks for the info. Then the next question would be which of the 3 wires going into the current sensor should i use. I looked at them and none match exactly with the wires connected to the gauge itself. Would be easy if there was as an exact match but there isn't. Any ideas!