1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

[Joe M.]

My temperature gauge has always appeared to work properly since I purchased the car in 1989. The last two times I drove the car, the temperature gauge never exceeded 140 degrees. I read several Archive threads about testing the sender, but did not fully understand it.

The sender can be tested at room temperature with a jumper wire between the brass threads of the sender to a good engine ground? A 72 degree ambient temperature should yield around 500 ohms resistance. Is this correct?

[John H.]

Re: 1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

The sender can be tested at room temperature with a jumper wire between the brass threads of the sender to a good engine ground? A 72 degree ambient temperature should yield around 500 ohms resistance. Is this correct?

Joe -

The resistance check is done between the center terminal of the sender and engine ground (or to the threaded portion of the sender) with your ohmmeter; at 72*F, an original 1513321 sending unit should read around 600 ohms. You can check the gauge itself as follows: with the key on, disconnect the sender wire from the sender, and the gauge should peg to full cold. Then ground the wire to the engine, and the gauge should peg to full hot.

[Joe M.]

Re: 1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

John, thanks for the simple and easy to understand testing procedures.

If the sender is bad, are Lectric Limited sending units accurate as they claim? Good experience" or Bad experience?

[John H.]

Re: 1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

John, thanks for the simple and easy to understand testing procedures.

If the sender is bad, are Lectric Limited sending units accurate as they claim? Good experience" or Bad experience?

Joe -

Based on the feedback I've seen, the LL sending units are no better/no worse than any of the others out there (Wells/AutoZone TU-5, Standard TS-6, BWD WT-203, etc.); occasionally you'll get lucky and find one that's reasonably accurate.

[Joe M.]

Re: 1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

I checked the resistance of the old sender and it was 800+ ohms. I purchased a sender from Auto Zone that measured 600 ohms which I believe is a good reading. I am hooking it up today.

[Jim D.]

Re: 1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

Joe -

Based on the feedback I've seen, the LL sending units are no better/no worse than any of the others out there (Wells/AutoZone TU-5, Standard TS-6, BWD WT-203, etc.); occasionally you'll get lucky and find one that's reasonably accurate.

I bought one from LL and two TU-5's from AutoZone. Of the 3, the LL was the worst ($25 down the drain). I ended up using one of the TU-5's but it reads a little low. It would have been cheaper to buy a hand full of the $5 ones and pick the best of the bunch. The LL one is a waste of money and time.

[Joe M.]

Re: 1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

I asked them to bring all of the units to the counter (2 units) and I tested each until I found the unit that was closest to 600 ohms (602 ohms).

[Ken A.]

Re: 1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

Actually, according to the Delco B/P i'm looking at, 105 ohms = 180*. This may help you. JH is very close, as 78*=600 ohms, but finding one that reads correct at room temp does'nt guarantee success.

[Donald L.]

Re: 1960 Temperature Gauge/Sender

Im using a AC Delco sender on a 62 that I bought in 1976 that reads fairly accurate with the gauge. Using heated water measured @ 180* F the sender reads about 135 ohms. Ar full boil ( 212 * F) at near sea level the resistance is about 110 ohms.

[Joe M.]

numbers key pad, not the numbers at the top of the key pad.