Temp gauge issues on my 22r (1 Viewer)

[Toast]

Hey guys so I recently installed a sr5 cluster in my 84 p/u and the temp gauge does some goofy s*** once in a while. I feel that there's a bum connection or its grounding out (or not grounding out) when I go over bumps and take turns hard. It will be at normal operating position then just drop off suddenly to 0, flicker around for a sec then jump back up to the middle where it was. So first thing I did was try to find the sender by unplugging different connectors on the intake. Nothing happened. So I unplugged every last wire I could and on acc the temp gauge still read in the middle. WIERD RIGHT!?!?! Can someone help me out with this cause its driving me crazy. Thanks fellow mudders

 

[toy4xfun]

did you unplug the wire that is in the middle of the intake, between #2 and #3 injectors?

 

[Toast]

It's carbed and I unplugged everything. Currently laid up in bed from the flu but I will go out and snap a few photos in a bit.

 

[Toast]

So here is what I'm looking at. I thought the sending unit was one of the two vertical green plugs on the thermostat housing but I unplugged both and the gauge still registers.Any input???

 

[toy4xfun]

ok it is a carbed engine, not sure!

 

[Toast]

Also anyone know how long it takes a 22r or re to heat up normal operating temperature? According to mine it was 8 minutes. Is this correct?

 

[toy4xfun]

there is going to be a lot of factors in that question, the first being ambient temp. so like right now where i am at it is 30* so it will take my truck longer to get to operating temp than say someone who is in California where the temp is just say 60*.

 

[Toast]

Ok got it. Yea it's about 50 or so here. What is normal operating temp?

 

[dkdnt232]

Did you get the cluster from another carb truck? If not, then maybe you may need to get the other temp sensor.

 

[herpestes]

possible gauge faulty, loose connection within the gauge itself.

 

[jynx]

Ok, so I have been gathering bits for a rebuild and in my search I did find that, at least on a 22RE motor, there are two different sensors for the temp and oil pressure. One is for ecu and idiot light, for trucks without the SR5 cluster and the second is the actual cluster sensor for the gauge. It sounds like you have put a SR5 cluster in a truck that didn't have one from the factory and from what I have read using the wrong sensor for the wrong connection could cause problems. Might even fry the gauge itself.

Not sure if this is what is going on but thought I would throw it into the mix.

 

[dkdnt232]

You are absolutely right jynx.

I'm not so sure about the connector vs sensor idea though. Maybe there are two types of temp sensors as well. Just like the same with the oil sensors.

 

[herpestes]

So here is what I'm looking at. I thought the sending unit was one of the two vertical green plugs on the thermostat housing but I unplugged both and the gauge still registers.Any input???

temperture sensor should be screwed into the forward part of the intake manifold near fuel pump. sending units pictured has to do with engine ecu.

 

[jynx]

On the RE motors there ARE two different sensors, one for the ECU and one for the gauge but I am not sure on the Carb'd motors. On the RE motors the ECU sensor is on the front of the intake, usually has a green plug. The gauge sensor is also on the manifold but is further back, between #2 and #3 cylinder. One wire spade or probably a grey plug, agian one wire.

Pretty sure you can't rob the ECU signal for the gauge and vs. Versa.

 

[herpestes]

from the picture looks to be a 84, 22r, carbed california

 

[Toast]

Yes that's spot on. So what everyone is saying then, is that I need to replace the sender with a sr5 22re one?

 

[dkdnt232]

Yes I think so. In that way the sender will match what the gauge reads. Or you could swap the gauge for the old one.

 

[Toast]

Would my old gauge in my non sr5 cluster interchange?

 

[dkdnt232]

That I don't know man. They might, but I have never swapped them.

 

[jynx]

Ok, first question: did the SR5 cluster come from an 85 RE truck or a later model RE truck or a carb'd SR5 truck?

Now what follows is all speculative since I have not ever dealt with an early model carb'd rig:

If it came from a carb'd truck then you just need to find out where the temp gauge got its signal from and install and hook up that sensor. I suspect it will be a greycolored sensor near the middle of the manifold.
If it came from a later model RE truck then I would guess you will need the corresponding sensor to plug into the manifold, BUT what I don't know is if it is an RE cluster on a vehicle that wasn't wired, in any configuration, to be an RE vehicle then I am not sure if the ECU will know what to do with the signal. I am not 100% sure when the first RE trucks rolled out and if that was an option in late 84 or only on "85" model year, so an RE cluster in a R truck may struggle to interpret the signals.

Just more food for thought.

And I realize that the OP said it only happened when he hit bumps which means it is probably just a loose connection somewhere and all our speculative rambling has only confused him more..