Where to install aftermarket water temp sender

[powerplantranger]

I can't find to old thread that shows the easiest place to install an aftermarket water temp sending unit. I could really use some input or a picture if possible..

Thanks
Eric

 

[Explorin94]

Just put it in place of the old temp sender. Them are pretty worthless anyway. Should be somewhere's close to the thermostat. Look for a single wire that goes to it.

 

[dernst]

I drilled and tapped next to the factory sensor. There is a flat spot where it looks like it was made to have a sensor there. This way, the dash guage works along with my after market guage.

 

[Tonka]

My '89's thermostat housing has two sending units on it. I don't know why. There's one with one wire, a push-on thing like a spark plug type wire connection, and that's on the driver's side, real easy to get to. Then there's another one on top, with a white plastic electrical connector, and it's a little harder to get to because of the intake/throttle body thing over it.
Autozone gave me a replacement sending unit and it was the one that's on top. I replaced it, and the temp gauge still don't work. Rather than rip my dash apart to replace the cluster I'm just putting in an aftermarket gauge.
I don't know why there's two sending units on this truck,... I only want to remove the one that works the gauge. The fan is not electric and though I can turn it by hand, I don't think there's a fan clutch that uses a thermostatically controlled electric switch.

 

[Explorin94]

My '89's thermostat housing has two sending units on it. I don't know why. There's one with one wire, a push-on thing like a spark plug type wire connection, and that's on the driver's side, real easy to get to. Then there's another one on top, with a white plastic electrical connector, and it's a little harder to get to because of the intake/throttle body thing over it.
Autozone gave me a replacement sending unit and it was the one that's on top. I replaced it, and the temp gauge still don't work. Rather than rip my dash apart to replace the cluster I'm just putting in an aftermarket gauge.
I don't know why there's two sending units on this truck,... I only want to remove the one that works the gauge. The fan is not electric and though I can turn it by hand, I don't think there's a fan clutch that uses a thermostatically controlled electric switch.

The one wire sensor goes to the dash gage and the 2 wire sensor communicates with the the computer.

 

[bobbywalter]

yeah you fixed the wrong sensor....may just be a break in the wire though.

 

[Tonka]

I changed the one-wire sending unit and the gauge works now. I also discovered the little hose from the radiator filler neck to the overflow reservoir had come off. When I removed the sending unit, no coolant came out. That's what made me suspicious.

 

[fyre82]

I did this to have both 'working' guages, a mechanical one and the stock one.




The stock guage reads before the thermostat and the mechanical reads after from the old stock position.
I just drilled and tapped a thermostat housing to fit the stock sending unit.

Rich

 

[dave2575]

"I just drilled and tapped a thermostat housing to fit the stock sending unit."

Fyre82, Great idea and it even looks stock good job. Do you remember what size drill bit and tap you used?

 

[fyre82]

I'm fixin' to do another one for my supercab.

Sounds like a cool project for today . . .

Stay tuned . . .



Rich

 

[dave2575]

Bit and tap size?

 

[fyre82]

The sensor has a metric thread. I'm still looking into the correct tools to use, not the ones I used to make it work.

I'll post up a separate thread for that later today.


Rich

 

[dave2575]