Help needed with temp gauge in '50 Champion

[lakewood61]

I recently purchased a '50 Champion at the SDC Nationals. The owner said that the temp gauge pegged but that he had the radiator checked and the engine was not overheating. He was told that the temp sending unit wasn't the correct one for the car. I purchased a new, correct unit at South Bend and installed it in the car. The needle started at cold and, first slowly, then quickly went all the way over to hot. The engine does not seem to be running hot, as the former owner's mechanic had confirmed. Is there something I'm missing like a bad gauge, bad sending unit? Any help would be most welcome

[r1lark]

quote:Originally posted by lakewood61

I recently purchased a '50 Champion at the SDC Nationals. The owner said that the temp gauge pegged but that he had the radiator checked and the engine was not overheating. He was told that the temp sending unit wasn't the correct one for the car. I purchased a new, correct unit at South Bend and installed it in the car. The needle started at cold and, first slowly, then quickly went all the way over to hot. The engine does not seem to be running hot, as the former owner's mechanic had confirmed. Is there something I'm missing like a bad gauge, bad sending unit? Any help would be most welcome

What I would do:
1) Make sure the wires are hooked up to the gauge correctly. One wire is usually a hot wire, and the other wire is the one frome the sender. Check the wiring diagram in the Shop Manual. Sometimes the gauge may have "IGN" or something similar where the hot wire attaches.
2) Get a known correct thermometer and put in the radiator neck, or use a laser thermometer on the top tank, to verify what temp the engine is running.
3) I always hesitate using sealer on temperature sending units, since having a good ground to the block is important. I recently started using a copper conductive paste on my senders, we'll see how this works long term.
4) Make sure the wire from the sending unit to the gauge is not nicked or pinched. I put this last because "I THINK" if this wire is pinched/nicked the gauge would read high all the time.

Just yesterday I was trying to make the temperature gauge on my '63 Lark Daytona work correctly. I found the wires incorrect on the gauge. I also found it had the wrong sender. Works ok now.

As an aside, fixing the gas gauge was easier......I decided to try putting gas in the tank just to be sure that wasn't it. Lo and behold, the gauge started working<G>!


Paul

Visit The Studebaker Skytop Registry website at: http://hometown.aol.com/r1skytop/myhomepage/index.html

[curt]

Putting gas in the tank could be an expensive fix!

[StudebakerGeorge]

If the car still has the original cloth wiring in it I would check that. If the original wiring is still there, you can count on replacing it all or risk nasty things happening.

StudebakerGeorge

[raprice]

This may be a small point, but there's an extender in the junction where you place the thermostat. That may be missing. Make sure the temp sending unit attached to the head is the correct one. Stude Int'l has them.
The last thing I'd check is the gauge itself.
Rog

'59 Lark VI Regal Hardtop