Thread: Temperature Guage Sensor Location

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I am currently picking the temperature off the head. Is there any other location the temperature can be picked up other than the intake manifold? I don't want to have to drill the manifold if another location exists. My concern is that the head is not exactly the most accurate place to be reading the temperature - that is it reads hot at this location - 230-240 degrees. I have a new rad, shroud fine, new clutch fan, etc.. Engine is bored 0.60, mild cam and timing is checked and fine. 180 degree therrmostat - new.

Why wouldnt you want it to read at the hottest spot? If you are trying to get the gauge to read cooler, put it in the trunk!!.

You shouldnt care about the cooler locations, the hottest is where the damage could be done. The head is where the factory picked because it is representative of the hottest temp. Later, it was moved to the intake because it gives a averaged temp of the water exiting the block and heads AND the sender is a little more protected.

A similar thing happens on transmission temp gauges.... people put them at the output of the cooler....we had one guy here at work that said his transmission temp never got very high...duh, he had the gauge at the exit of his cooler.

my opinion, for what it's worth

Understood, but is a temperature reading of 230 acceptable?
Iwas thinking of adding a second guage at a different location to see if there is a difference and being a rookie at the hotrod scene - maybe for a little piece of mind.

230-240 seems hot

Does the gauge read a normal cold temperature?

Has the gauge worked in the past and showed a more reasonable temperature?

What temp thermostat is in the engine? Oops, you said 180.

Is it an electric gauge or a mechanical gauge?

Has the sender in the head been removed lately (when the problem started)?

Does the radiator boil? If the cooling system is clean and not restricted your guage or sending unit might not be accurate.

The guage is a new electronic TPI. A new sensor was also installed. When cold everything seems normal as far as the guage goes. The old mechanical guage used to read lower overall but fluctuated quite a bit while the electronic one reads a constant temperature. Are all sensors the same? There is no boil over - have not lost a drop of coolant.