Temp Sender Location

[DJ Menasco]

Does anyone here know where the temp sender for the coolant gauge is for a 95' D90? I wasn't able to locate in my manual or the FAQ section? Any help would be great. Thanks.

DJ

[Roadsiderob]

DJ,
It is the one wire sensor located to the left of the thermostat housing on the front of the intake manifold.
Rob

[norros]

DJ,

Hey, I've got the same problem...
If you end up buying one and know of a decently priced vendor, I think I need one too.
So, if you have any information that would be killer.

My temperature gauge doesn't work, it stopped right after I flushed the coolant and plugged the sensor back in... I don't know what happened. ?

Thanks man...

Nicholas Orros

[DJ Menasco]

Actually Nick I'm in the process of replacing my stock gauges for VDO. The VDO temp gauge requires a different resistance and hence a different sender so it wouldn't be applicable in your situation.

However, if you know the resistance of the stock sender you can probably replace it with VDO. I bought a two of my gauges and the sender at egauges.com They have pretty good prices for VDO material.

DJ

Follow-up Post:

Nick

Just click here:http://www.egauges.com/vdo_sgrp.asp?Subgroup=Temperature_Sender&Cart= and it should take you directly to egauges temp sender page. Unfortunately, I have no idea which sender is compatable with the stock. Nonetheless, I used the VDO sender #323 095. The thread is a 1/8-27 NPT which is a perfect match for the stock sender. Hope this helps.

DJ

[norros]

DJ,

Much appreciated.
I'm a little lost regarding the temp gauge...
Do you think purchasing that 'sender' would fix my problem ? Or do I need a whole new temperature gauge/wires/sender unit ? (IF that's all that's needed)...

Thank you very much

Nicholas

OH... and if I do need a VDO gauge, will it fit in place of the stock temp gauge OR will it have to sit elsewhere? Thanks again....

[DJ Menasco]

Do you think purchasing that 'sender' would fix my problem?

The first thing I would do is make sure that the connections on the back of the gauge haven't come loose or are corroded. I would also check plug on the temp sender and make sure it is properly connected and doesn't have any corrosion as well (ground/ground & hot/hot). Once you've established that all connections are properly affixed I'd test the ground for resistance and make sure the hot lead is in fact hot.

If you've run through and passed these diagnostics (all connections are established, you have a good ground, and a current is present) then I would replace the sender. In my opinion I would think that the sender is more of a "consumable" item rather than the gauge itself.

Or do I need a whole new temperature gauge/wires/sender unit ? (IF that's all that's needed)...
If by chance you replace the sender and the gauge still doesn't function then I might look into replacing the gauge. Personally, if you were only going to change the temp gauge I'd purchase a stock one. The VDO, while they're really quite handsome and flush, aren't an exact match for the stock gauges. If you’d like to see what VDO gauges look like in place of the stock I can post a picture later this evening.


OH... and if I do need a VDO gauge, will it fit in place of the stock temp gauge OR will it have to sit elsewhere? Thanks again....

It depends on what VDO model you want (Vision, Cockpit Black, Industrial, etc.), but anything that is 2 1/16" or 52mm in diameter will fit in either the fuel, temperature, or tachometer stock mounts. If you want to replace the speedo you'll have to match it to a 4" or 100mm diameter gauge. Let me know if you have any more questions.

DJ

[norros]

DJ,

Thanks man...

When I flushed the coolant I might have put the sender wire on backwards, I heard that it didn't matter because it was just a 'relay'. That might be the problem... Could I have 'fried' something ?? I assume there is a fuse somewhere for the dash gauges.

I have checked the wires going onto the sender but not the gauge itself, I'm thinking that pulling the dash off is a pain.

If I did put the wires on backwards, what do you think I did ?

<still learning...>

Thanks for all of the information..!!!

Nicholas

[Mike Hippert]

If the sender is a resistor then it should not matter which way you put the wires, I think I tried this once and it read correct with the sensor hooked up both ways. I have replaced my gauge with an Acu-Gauge; I used the stock sender as the one that came with the new gauge did not fit. Before installing it put both the sensors in a pot of hot water, then I hooked the new sensor to the gauge, then switched over to the stock sensor and they both read the same. I did this over the full range of the sensor to be sure everything lined up and it did. So if you have a new gauge I would try this before trying to find a sensor that fits.

[Roadsiderob]

The stock temp sensor grounds through the sender to the intake manifold...so if you put too much teflon tape on it when you put it back in, the sensor may not be sufficiently grounded. Make sure the sensor body has continuity to the manifold.
Rob

Follow-up Post:

I was thinking about this post over dinner...and I think that it is worth remembering that there are 3 temp sensors on this engine and I think that we are not all talking about the same ones. There is one mounted vertically next to the fuel rail that has the same type connector as the fuel injector...that is the temp sensor for the fuel management system. There is a 2 wire temp switch mounted in the thermostat neck...this is a switch that opens at 210F to shut off the A/C at high ambient temperatures. The sensor for the gauge is to the left and down from the thermostat neck and is a one wire sensor...the sensor providing a variable resistance to ground for the gauge. Unplugged, this green wire should have 12v with the key on. If you ground the wire momentarily, the gauge should read hot. There should be resistance across the sensor to ground. Too much thread sealant will cause it not to work properly. Also, I think this sensor is 3/8BSP (straight pipe thread). I have done several VDO gauge conversions and have always had to run a 3/8-18NPT tap into the hole to open the threads up to take the tapered pipe threads on the VDO sender. This can be done without removing the intake manifold from the car.
Cheers,
Rob Dassler

[Craigd]

I was having a problem with my temp guage needle moving around from the middle to almost the red. If I would turn off the motor and immediately restart the engine the needle would go right back to the middle, so I knew there was a problem with the sensor. I pulled the wire off and used a pencil eraser to clean off the brass connection. After two days of driving the needle has not moved from the middle. So I think problem fixed.

[loykd]

Before I go breaking something else, is this the sender that gets replaced?
How do you connect the wire to the sender? It's not a blade connector, like what I normally see.

For the tach, is the alternator the source?

For the fuel quantity, I read that it reads "high". A little above "F" when the tank is full, and a little above "E" when it's empty. Is that the consensus?