Not often i ask but i'm having a real time of making my temp gause work in the truck, in the last 4 months it's gone through 4 temp senders, 1st one was in there for the last 3 years + (origional ford one), when that packed up i fitted an intermotor one and that lasted 5 weeks, 3rd one (again a new intermotor one) lasted just long enough for me to test it once with a meter in a cup of warm water and then stopped working (i was trying to get some reading for somone on here), 4th one fitted last week lasted 4 days and now the needle is jumping up and down and swinging all over the place, not just betwwen where it normaly sits and nowt but it often goes off the scale at the hot end as well.
I changed the gauge= same, changed the voltage stabiliser for a later solid state board (ford item)= same, changed to a 2nd stabiliser board i hyave on a spare set of clocks = same.
I checked old and new boards and both had a stable output of 6V so i tested the senders resistance in the engine (between earth and the senders conection pole) and it's stable until i put the wire back on then the meter starts jumping up and down.
It does this with the engine off and running so not an alt problem (checked the alt anyway and that has a stable output as well).
Thinking about it i should have tested the sender with the ign on and off after connecting the wire.
Now my local spares shop is starting to get the
and swears it's a wiring issue or at least an issue with the vehical not the parts so if i try another sender i will have to buy it no more refunds, i would argue that my wiring is ok (tested the sender wire from sender to gauge for continuaty no issues and also for an earth short, no issues), i've never seen a needle jump up and down so much ? allways had them fail to no reading at all.
Any ideas? i will admit to not being super hot on elctrical stuff but i get by (been a mechanic for 30 years), the main reason i ask is i don't trust the new intermotor parts, i've had a lot fail in a short time on customers cars, i allways buy NOS if possable as newer intermotor parts are made in china and IMHO not as good as NOS parts made in europe but 3 failiers in a row? even when i've had a customer part fail the replacement has allways been ok.
Am i testing wronge IE with the wire back on the sender ? as i say i get by with electrics but i know there are more knolledgable folks on here than me when it comes to swinging a test meter in anger
I changed the gauge= same, changed the voltage stabiliser for a later solid state board (ford item)= same, changed to a 2nd stabiliser board i hyave on a spare set of clocks = same.
I checked old and new boards and both had a stable output of 6V so i tested the senders resistance in the engine (between earth and the senders conection pole) and it's stable until i put the wire back on then the meter starts jumping up and down.
It does this with the engine off and running so not an alt problem (checked the alt anyway and that has a stable output as well).
Thinking about it i should have tested the sender with the ign on and off after connecting the wire.
Now my local spares shop is starting to get the
and swears it's a wiring issue or at least an issue with the vehical not the parts so if i try another sender i will have to buy it no more refunds, i would argue that my wiring is ok (tested the sender wire from sender to gauge for continuaty no issues and also for an earth short, no issues), i've never seen a needle jump up and down so much ? allways had them fail to no reading at all.Any ideas? i will admit to not being super hot on elctrical stuff but i get by (been a mechanic for 30 years), the main reason i ask is i don't trust the new intermotor parts, i've had a lot fail in a short time on customers cars, i allways buy NOS if possable as newer intermotor parts are made in china and IMHO not as good as NOS parts made in europe but 3 failiers in a row? even when i've had a customer part fail the replacement has allways been ok.
Am i testing wronge IE with the wire back on the sender ? as i say i get by with electrics but i know there are more knolledgable folks on here than me when it comes to swinging a test meter in anger
, black sender sits the needle on the gauge between the R and M in NORM on the gauge, white makes it sit just at the O when up to temp.
