Temp guage- intermittent

[DonB]

Sorting out the new car (3.4 GM, Holley 390, Edlebrock low profile manifold,  E-Z wiring kit, TPI instruments) and am experiencing issues with temp sender/temp guage. When starting cold, no reading. but a single momentary short of the single connecting wire to ground, temp guage instantly gives you correct and continious reading.
Don't remember where we got the sender, but local auto parts store only carry GM replacements with two connector plug-in recepticle.

Ideas? I'm clearly not an electrics guy

Don B.

[DiDueColpi]

Probably not the sender Don,
I would suspect that you have a faulty ground at the gauge.
It needs that "kick" from grounding the sender to get it going.

Cheers
Fred

[DonB]

Fred,
Thanks you got me on the right path!
Turns out it was the Teflon tape I had applied to threads of sender, when I screwed it into the manifold. The "jump" overcame the very weak ground. BIG fix... removed tape!

Duh
Don B.

[pspeaks]

Thanks guys, I never thought of that, better check to make sure I didn't tape mine.  Side note on gauges, I just ordered a set of Speed Hut gauges with GPS speedometer to replace my mechanical Shark set.  Now I have to find something to cover the cable hole on the transmission.


Paul

[rficalora]

Paul, if you have it you can just leave the one that wad in the tranny there, just not hooked up.

[pspeaks]

Thanks Rob, that's what Roger said too.  I don't have it anymore but I can get another from our old closed down hot rod shop.

Paul