6v positive ground.

I bought a 6v temp sender from Dennis Carpenter. I am trying to test that it works. First, positive lead and negative lead directly to the gauge has it drop all the way to C from H which I read is correct. I disconnected that and the current state is below.

in the picture attached I have the yellow wire running from the temp sender terminal to the left post on the gauge.

I have the body of the temp sender, red wire running to the positive terminal on the battery.

Where does the negative terminal from the battery go?
Is there another connection I need? I have a Black wire for any additional connection.

I attached is the wiring diagram.

thanks!

 

According to the Ford service documentation the proper way to test ascending unit is to pair it with a tested gauge. Gauge is tested by providing 1 and 1/2 volts from a single D cell battery to the gauge which should read halfway. Two D cells in series at 3 volts do a full swing of the gauge. Shorting the gauge across six volts is not a valid test.

You didn't specify which temperature sending unit you got from Dennis Carpenter. I presume it is the appropriate single terminal "6V" temperature sending unit used on most Ford's from the '30s into the '50s.

Basically, the gauge is installed with one terminal connected to the ignition switch (usually shared with the other gauges via a bus wire/bar). The other terminal goes to the terminal on the sending unit. The sending unit is then grounded through the case that threads into the block.

 

Your black wire which should be negative should go to the other gauge post as in the diagram. I have carefully put the sensor in a can of water heated with a map torch and monitred with a thermometer, have a record of actual temp at gauge needle position. For instance 1/4 gauge = 150 degrees and 1/2 = 180, etc. Now I know what it's running at.. Good luck.

 

That back wire must be switched. You don't want always on power to the cluster.

 

I'm not testing it through the ignition switch. It's a separate gauge cluster not in the car. So I am trying to test it with the sender in boiling water and powered directly by the battery. I should have been clearer!

I tried testing it to the existing gauge in the car by connecting to the the gauge wire under the hood and grounding the body of the temp sender to the block and got nothing when it was in hot water.

 

To test the setup in hot water as you indicated:

 

Ok. I was able to test it and the temp sender seems to be working. I had the gauge cluster out to change the speedometer and since the gauge was working decided to swap that out as well as I wasn't sure if my original gauge was bad. I doublechecked the gauge I was swapping in by hooking up a D battery to it and the needle went from H to dead center.

I put the confirmed working gauge in and hooked it up to the temp sender in the truck and I turned on the truck and the needle did not drop from H to C.hmmmmmm. The one that was in there before did.

So I took the new temp sender and put a wire to the terminal and one to the block and the needle in the gauge cluster did drop. Weird. Any ideas?

I then hooked up the old gauge to the sender in the truck and grounded it to the block and it went all the way down. I should have tried grounding back to the sender, I can try that tomorrow.

Maybe I have a wiring issue? But that seems unlikely since I can hook up the new sender and get the needle to drop. I will check it with boiling water tomorrow.

It seems that sender works the issue is it is a 3/8 NPT thread and the block is 1/4 NPT. I ordered a reducer but I know the sender barrel won't fit through it and I will have to drill it out. It looks there there should be enough material to do that. If not I am going to have a machine shop make me up a fitting so the barrel has a tight friction fit. That will keep the threads from cracking when it goes into the block as the sender barrel will support the threads/fitting.

I also put a new speedometer from summit in and the needle is not sitting at 0mph. Picture below. is that an issue? I got a used one and it has the same thing. It seems like the mechanism is weighted somehow and maybe that affects it.


Here is the old gauge hooked up directly to the old sender.

Here Is the gauge cluster reinstalled with all the needles freshly painted. You can see the needle sits high.

Before I put it in the needle was here.

 

Obviously you have found a sender and gauge that seem to work together. Use those! If I am recalling accordingly, I believe the sending unit on your motor may not be for driving a gauge, but a warning light.

As for your speedometer, you don't have your truck in a rotisserie (upside down), right? These units are mechanical, the needle should be resting at 0, which it seems to do uninstalled from your pictures.

 

Nope, it's right side up!

In the picture online it seems to be sitting where mine is. It must sort itself out somehow after it's installed. We will see in the spring. If not I will send it back.

Getting the temp sensor in the block is the next challenge. The one I have in there I think is supposed to be for gauges. If I can figure out where I got it I can check but I bet you are right. If it won't fit in the block then I will have to put it inline in the radiator hose and ground it back to the block somehow.

 

8pack, I somehow got confused earlier this evening was thinking oil pressure instead of temperature in my latest post to you here when I went off the rails about a warning light setup....

We covered this all a while back and just refreshed my memory - it may refresh yours as well:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...re-switch.html

As for the speedometer, Classic Industries, LMC, Midwest Early Ford all have image showing a 0 reading at rest in their product listings and that really is the way it should be. I believe the reproductions have a different depth of the gearing housing at the back, but that shouldn't be of consequence...

 

Thanks. I may have to return the Summit one which sucks because I have to take the whole cluster out again.

I just found this. It is 1/4" NPT and has the correct part number for a 1960 block. I found B7A-10884-A for the 223 which is the 1/4NPT. 8A-10884 is the 6V 3/8NPT which is the one I just tested. As you have found as well it looks like all the temp Gauges from Ford except 1956 are king seeley up until the 80s. So the 1/4NPT should work.

It took a lot of searching to find it. It is on the same website I JUST bought the 3/8NPT sender that seems to work from.

I am trying to decide whether to order it and see if it works because if it does I don't need adapters etc. shipping is almost as much as the part. $26 with shipping. The part is only $16.

https://cgfordparts.com/products/tem...44724652867721

 

Responding to your recent rely to '8Pack's" question on temperature gauge.
I have several questions. I have a 52 F-1 with a flat head eight. The truck was converted to 12v before i purchased it. Each gauge is proved with as 12 to 6 v solid state voltage reducer. My understanding is the temp sensor with a single screw posts goes to the right side of the end with its wire lead going to the sender with 2 posts to the drivers side of the engine and then to the gauge.
My question is: with the electrical system converted to 12V does that affect the operation of the gauge and do I need to change those over from the 6V version?

 

Joe, if your temperature gauge has the voltage reducer as you say, that's all you need to do for your temperature gauge system to make it work with 12V. That reducer will not be shown on this diagram, but the diagram shows how this all works for you:

 

8pack, yes, we covered the possible use of the B7A-10884-A, just that nowhere was it found if the calibrated range would match your gauge or not - the hope is that it is close enough since both are a 6V KS system.

 

This has been a complicated journey! Sorry if I lost track. It seems like I am down to 2 options and soon we will know which one it is. Thanks!!