[DeTomaso] Techno question: dead temp gauge

[Charles Engles]

Dear Forum,


              I need remedial electrical help. 

              The gauge quit working.   I found the connection to the water temp sender *in the block below the thermostat* had fallen off.  Oops.   Easy fix:  put it back on with a better and tighter connector.  Button up everything back up and be greeted with a persistently dead gauge.

              Today: everything re-exposed and a the wire is firmly attached to the sender.  

               With the ignition on, the gauge needle moves a tiny bit. 
              I attached a test wire to the lead to the sender and put it to ground at various places on the engine and there was no movement of the temp gauge.

              I read that one could run two D cell batteries together and run power to the suspect gauge to test for response.  I did this and the gauge does react to the D cell battery current and moves about two thirds of the way over.

             So....the grounded lead test suggests that the gauge is bad-----but the battery test suggests the gauge is good?    

             It is obvious that I am not sure if my problem is the sender or the gauge at this point.  Sigh.


                    Chuck "Non-electrical"  Engles