temperature gauge install

dirtfan1

Member
I have a 1973 Ford 2000 3 cyl. Gas tractor. I'm trying to install a new temperature gauge as the old cluster is shot. I am making a new
plate to install individual gauges for temp, fuel, and volts. I bought a new temp gauge and a new temp sending unit. I wired the gauge up
to the new sending unit and it does not work. Can anyone tell me what i am missing or doing wrong?

thanks in advance
 
(quoted from post at 21:38:09 06/14/17) I have a 1973 Ford 2000 3 cyl. Gas tractor. I'm trying to install a new temperature gauge as the old cluster is shot. I am making a new
plate to install individual gauges for temp, fuel, and volts. I bought a new temp gauge and a new temp sending unit. I wired the gauge up
to the new sending unit and it does not work. Can anyone tell me what i am missing or doing wrong?

thanks in advance

Not even close to being an expert here . From my understanding of reading the archives , the gauge needs to match the resistance of the sender unit . I have read that there are different sending units and or gauges for the stock set up . When you ground out the wire going to the sending unit it should read maximum on your gauge .

I just replaced my voltage stabilizer on my 3000 and now the gauges work . I think the voltage drops to the neighborhood of 5 volts or so and would assume / guess that the stock Ford style sending unit is way off from what an aftermarket gauge would use .
 
I am making a new plate to install individual gauges for temp, fuel, and volts. I bought a new temp gauge and a new temp sending unit. I wired the gauge up to the new sending unit and it does not work. Can anyone tell me what i am missing or doing wrong?

Not a lot to go on here. Obviously not the original spec gauges, as they only come as part of the instrument cluster.

Exactly how did you wire it? Did you also wire up 12 volts to something in the circuit? Is the sending unit installed in the head or just hanging in midair by the wire? What brands and models of gauge and sending unit are they? Are they matched to each other? Were there any installation instructions?
 
Yes there were instructions but stupidly I
threw them away thinking that I knew how to
do it. The sending unit screws into the top
of the head. I'm attaching photos of the old
sending unit and the new temperature gauge
if anyone can help thanks
https://goo.gl/photos/cpChcW17J48WaiGg6
https://goo.gl/photos/vDEUhUX3dkfg7HCm8
https://goo.gl/photos/T8f2xw7K3P2jrDcA6
 
(quoted from post at 18:21:25 06/15/17) Yes there were instructions but stupidly I
threw them away thinking that I knew how to
do it. The sending unit screws into the top
of the head. I'm attaching photos of the old
sending unit and the new temperature gauge
if anyone can help thanks
https://goo.gl/photos/cpChcW17J48WaiGg6
https://goo.gl/photos/vDEUhUX3dkfg7HCm8
https://goo.gl/photos/T8f2xw7K3P2jrDcA6
Looks like gauge has 3 wires. Where do you have each connected?
 
There is a black and a white wire that goes
to a light that lights the gauge and then
the wire that runs to the sending unit. I
tried just hooking the wire to the sending
unit and that's all and it didn't work so I
assume that's not correct
 
According to the links that you sent, it is a mechanical temperature gauge, not electric. The big black "wire" is actually a gas filled tube connecting gauge head to sender bulb and the two wires are for the gauge light, one power & one ground.
 
Ok then I likely need to purchase another
gauge. I cut the big black wire to add a
different connection to the end of it so it
would attach to me sending unit. A pic of
the old sending unit is attached

https://goo.gl/photos/ZbdzZhtRnJ9P7s8G9
 
That's an electric sending unit, and will not work with a mechanical gauge of the type that JMOR described. You have to get a sending unit and gauge that are matched to each other. Even electrical sending units vary in their resistance range so will only work properly with certain electrical gauges.
 

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