[DeTomaso] Temp Guage dead

[Thomas Borcich]

Wow, thanks very much. I really appreciate your experience!

Best regards,

Tom Borcich



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <JDeRyke at aol.com>
To: <Tborcich at msn.com>; <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2006 11:46 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Temp Guage dead


In a message dated 8/10/06 11:22:38 PM, Tborcich at msn.com writes:

<< Is there anything specific to the Pantera electrical other than making
sure the wire to the sending unit is hooked up. I not good with electrical 
and
figure someone may have a few good guesses on where to start. I have run the
engine a few times since just to see if it was a poor connection and there 
is no
movement in the gauge. >>

Most likely, its a dead sender, but they're cheap to replace befitting the
fact that they don't work very well or very long. From Carquest, the p/n is
TS-58 and from Kragen's the current p/n is TS-25621/Niehoff, at about $7.50. 
Do
not let them give you other parts since there is a similar-looking 
idiot-light
sender that won't work at all with a gauge but is listed as an interchange 
at
some stores. The cheapskates no longer include two 10-32 nuts & a 
lock-washer
with senders (saving 3¢ or so), so transfer the ones from the old sender. Be
sure to run two nuts on with the washer in between, then add the wire 
connector
between the nuts & tighten the nuts against each other. Simply using one nut
to hold the wire against the bakelite insulator on the sender will strain 
the
shaft connecting to the innards, and it may go dead, or leak water after a
while.

Also note the sender should be in the block below the thermostat, NOT in the
expansion tank. Ford put it there as a lo-cost fix to lower the scary temps
the gauge showed, but in thousands of other Ford cars with 351-Cs, it was in 
the
block. The block has a pipe plug which can be used to plug the un-needed 
hole
in the tank when you move the sender. The sender wire is long enough to 
reach
either position. Excessive use of teflon pipe tape sometimes electrically
isolates a brand new sender so it doesn't work, or works intermittently. 
Also,
about 6-8" away from the sender under some electrical tape, is a 
"calbrating"
resistor which may have come loose. It should be a 10 ohm 1/2 watt unit for 
most
cars. Ford used two different value resistors, and some cars read most
accurately with no resistor at all. Good luck- J Deryke