2600 temp sender

Hello again folks! Thanks to the help everyone here on the forums I got my 2600 rewired and the lights/gauges work except the temp gauge. I tried to ground the temp sender to see if the gauge would go Max temp and it still doesn't budge. This is a brand new instrument cluster. Do you think it still might be the temp sender?

The cooling system on the 2600 Diesel Ford is large, and as such, as my local Ford dealer told me in 1980 when I bought it from him don't expect to see that temperature needle move off the scale. that was 30 some years ago and it still runs perfectly.

Assuming the gas gauge is working correctly...


then did you put a ground on the back of the gauge connection to see it move. If it moves with a ground there, then the wire to the temp sender is open somewhere.

The gauge cluster must have a good ground for the voltage stabilizer to work correctly.

Also be sure the jumper from the voltage stabilizer is good. It feeds the gas gauge power and the temp gauge power.

And the stabilizer must/has to have power to then feed both gauges a lower voltage...

I don't care how large the cooling system is, there's a device called a thermostat that is supposed to make sure that an engine comes up to a certain minimum temperature. Either you misunderstood the guy who sold it to you, or he's an idiot.

Assuming it has run cold for over 30 years, have you ever had the rocker cover off? I'd be willing to bet that there's so much sludge underneath there that you can barely see the rocker arms.

Thanks for the replies. Yes it has a good ground, the fuel sender does work properly as well.
I put a ground to the temp senderd and also went from the temp spade directly to ground as well. Still no movement on the gauge.
Unless this cluster is possibly wired wrong? It's a new aftermarket cluster. The jumper goes from the stabilizer to the "B" spade. I'm assuming the "T" spade is for the temp gauge. The other side is a "T" spade also for the fuel gauge.

Below I copied a post I made a couple months about a similar issue. Maybe it will help.

If I didn't copy it correct with pictures just look up my posts I don't have too many.

Wels


One more thing I did figure out while playing with the gauge clusters.

On the (cw) '68-75 cluster the sending units for both the temp sensor and fuel level sensor plugs into the outer blades.





On the (ccw) '76+ cluster the fuel sender plugs into the outside but the temp sender needs to plug into the inner blade because of the way the resister and coil is set up on the temp gauge.




Just figured that could be helpful for anyone updating the gauge clusters.

Wels

You'll have to figure out which blades on the gauge are power and which goes to the sender. Usually the power is labeled 'B' and the sender
is 'S'... depending on the brand of cluster. Look at the fuel gauge since it works and see how it's labeled. Anyway... if the gauge is
powered up, grounding the sender wire will bring the gauge full sweep to 230 deg immediately. If it doesn't sweep you have either a power
supply problem, a gauge problem or a cluster grounding problem.
The temp sender itself works by varying the resistance to ground through it's shell. The tricky part with changing instrument clusters is
that there are some..... aftermarket clusters out there that do not function in the correct resistance range for the installed sender...
and you may end up playing a guessing game until you figure it out. So IF the gauge sweeps fine on the ground test (ground the sender wire
to the engine near the sender).... thus you have confirmed the gauge and the wiring circuit... then you need to change the sender if you
still can't get gauge movement with the engine hot.
IIRC, the 3600 will use the more modern, higher resistance sender with 3/8" NPT... but if you bought an aftermarket cluster it's probably
wound for the earlier low resistance sender that uses 1/8" NPT. So you may need to buy that sender and a brass adapter bushing to bush it
down to fit.

Rod

I ordered a new sender for the 2600 off YT and I did get the small 1/8NPT. I didn't think to get a bushing.
But even then, the gauge should peg out with the ground test, right?

I'll double check my ground, I have it going to the battery but maybe there isn't a good enough ground to the engine block?

Thanks!