Temperature Gauge, sending or receiving

One of the things I noticed early on in my efforts to maintain the '76 B was the Temperature Gauge never moved. After driving the car the engine would most definitely get hotter. My first thought was that the gauge must be faulty. I decided to remove it for closer inspection. This is not as easy as one would hope but after twisting and turning my right hand and arm in ways a Carnival side show act would applaud the gauge popped out. Looking over the gauge it appeared to be in good condition, but how does one know?

I found that by connecting the gauge's sending wire to ground the needle would move. This is a good sign that the gauge itself is fine.

Some pics...

Sensor

Sending Wire

Ground connection

So, this would lead me to the sensor (thermistor) inserted into the engine block. I ordered one from Moss Motors, with a few other items of course, and when it arrived I swapped out the old for the new.

I fired up the B and went for a drive. After a few minutes the gauge needle started to climb.


Overall this was a pretty easy process and now I have the comfort of knowing when the engine is overheating before things get out of hand.