mechanical temp gauge???

so often in "parts cars" you find that the sending unit for the mechanical temp gauge has been cut (the solid wire that is usually encased in another "spiral" wire) can these be soldered back together? Is there any way to save a mech. gauge that has had this wire butchered?? thanks-

 

This has been covered before.....
The info / article you need is right here:

http://www.ply33.com/repair/tempgauge

 

It's not a wire. It's a tube. It contains a mysterious liquid that acts like an old fashioned thermometer--- it expands when hot and contracts when cold, thereby moving the needle on the gauge.

Hopefully somebody will chime in, because I know I've seen posts of guys that repair them.

 

It's called "bulb and capillary tube". I believe it has a gas (could be wrong about the gas part) in it that expands when heated.

 

Yup! Dan here is a thread also leadding to this and other threads.


http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=312733

 

Unless the gauge restorers can fix it, it's destroyed. I've found more than one "perfect" temp gauge in the junk yards only to find that someone had cut the capillary tube from the sender instead of unscrewing the sender.

The first car I worked on in the first mechanics job I ever had was putting a car back together that my predecessor in the stall had pulled the engine in 15 minutes. He was a kid who had worked in a local wrecking yard and talked JT into hiring him and used his wrecking yard methods to pull the engine for an engine change. Every wire, tube and hose on the car was cut.

 

In theory, you can follow the procedure in the ply33 link, dependent on what type of temperature gauge you have. There are different charges and charge volume plays a role. Calibration also takes some finesse. When we rebuild a mechanical temperature gauge, we replace the capillary tube, shielding (with stainless), thermo well bulb and jam nut. If applicable, we supply a fresh, br***, adapter fitting in order to provide a smooth seat. Just be careful if you do try the "spliced" method. It's dangerous business.