Autometer sending units, same as Chyrsler?

[minigts]

Ok, I just bought a new sending unit for my temp gauge. Problem is, it looks identical to the one I have right now. Now, I know in a big scheme to turn a profit, they may have made more than one of these things in terms of design, but are they also calibrated the same?

The reason I ask is, I hooked up the Autometer water temp gauge to my car using the sending unit currently installed and it reads the correct temperature. I let it cycle through 2 fan turn-ons and both times the fan kicked on around 195 and turned off around 175 ish. I'd have to find it in the service manual, but I'm fairly certain those are the factory temp ranges for the fan cycle.

So, did I install it years ago and it's been what I have been basing my readings on my gauge or are they the same? Please keep in mind, the fan was cycling on at what appeared to be the 3/4 mark on the factory gauge and cycling off at the 1/4 mark. It wasn't like it was reading all high or all low all the time. Before when I hooked the temp gauge up, it would simply creep up to the 240 mark when I turned the ignition on, so that told me that either the wires were crossed or there was a bad ground or it wasn't reading on the right sender (so I thought).

[89ShelbyGuy]

Would you know how to test the sending unit? Having a problem with my gauge working and sometimes not working....or what about the ground...you ever search for that?

You would think that knowing how to test the sensor would give you insight if the sensors are the same or not....

[minigts]

Well the gauge is reading "accurately" to the extent that it is showing numbers fairly close to how the car should be responding with the fan kicking on and off. But the part is identical and I'm wondering if the issue I had previously was from running the factory gauge AND the Autometer off the same wire? Regardless, I'm going to test the Autometer unit and see if I get the same results.

[crazymadbastard]

You can't run the gauges from the same sender, it messes up the ohms read.

[89ShelbyGuy]

do you know what the ohm reading is suppose to be, or how to test a sender?

[minigts]

You can't run the gauges from the same sender, it messes up the ohms read.

Yeah I kinda found that out... :p


do you know what the ohm reading is suppose to be, or how to test a sender?

I have the service manuals for 85, 89 and 93, but I think the 93 was the one that has the most info on ohms. The big problem is, it only identifies the ohm value and Hot, Very Hot, etc. It doesn't map ohm values to numeric temp values that I remember seeing. I need to look at the books again though.