Ford 3600 - Temp Gauge Trouble Shooting

LarryBud

Member
New to me 3600.

New panel. Tach / hour meter work. Fuel & Temp do not read. I doubt the warning lights are functional but don't know.

When I turn the key on, I have an idiot light in the lower left which is bright when the key is turned two clicks to the right and dim when the key is turned one click right.

The starter has been rigged to a push button below the ignition switch which is hot regardless of key position.

While I'd like a fully functional gauge panel, I'd be happy with temp . Anything else would be a bonus.

Do I start by pulling the wire from the temp sending unit and grounding it to see if I get a reading? If nothing, do I assume it's the sending unit or is there another way to check the panel gauge?

Thanks
 
LarryBud,
If the temp gauge moves by grounding the wire, you know the sender is bad. Mine did not register correctly so I had to replace it.
Many times the new gauge cluster is not compatable with the existing senders. Ford used to send all the clusters with new senders as a kit.


There is at least one other possibility if it does nothing. The fuse could be blown. It is a small fuse hidden in that wire bundle.

When I turn the key, 3 lights come on Charging, Oil Pressure and Air Cleaner Plugged. What you have is not normal.

HTH
Keith
 
(quoted from post at 10:27:24 01/20/23) LarryBud,
If the temp gauge moves by grounding the wire, you know the sender is bad. Mine did not register correctly so I had to replace it.
Many times the new gauge cluster is not compatable with the existing senders. Ford used to send all the clusters with new senders as a kit.


There is at least one other possibility if it does nothing. The fuse could be blown. It is a small fuse hidden in that wire bundle.

When I turn the key, 3 lights come on Charging, Oil Pressure and Air Cleaner Plugged. What you have is not normal.

HTH
Keith
on't know the 3600, but most Fords around that one have a voltage stabilizer, also called instrument cluster voltage regulator, that sets the voltage applied to fuel and temperature gauges. Might verify.
 
The idiot lights have their own grounding circuit.. I suspect you dont have the needed ground for the gauges to work. And the light getting dim, worries me that you have mis-wired the thermostart..
 
(quoted from post at 11:26:28 01/21/23) The idiot lights have their own grounding circuit.. I suspect you dont have the needed ground for the gauges to work. And the light getting dim, worries me that you have mis-wired the thermostart..

The temp sender and fuel sender each supply the path to ground from the respective gauge through the sender itself, so a single missing "needed ground" would not cause both to malfunction.
 

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