What does your temp sending unit look like?

My temp gauge doesnt work,it had a canister looking unit in it, went and got a new one and they only had a smaller unit for it. I tried it. Heres the thing, I can turn the key on the on pos. and it goes all the way up to the top. I crank the motor over and the gauge dies off all the way to the bottom.

I borrowed buddies s.u. from his motor, the older style canister kind. It acted like it wanted to work.But only moved up to the bottom of where the gauge starts. I know the car has oil and oil pressure. Just not sure whats wrong.

88TBird

Take a look at the "Sensor and Device Locations" article in the Tech Articles section; it shows the locations of both the temperature sensor and the oil pressure sensor, and if you look close , you can see what they look like as well.

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Joe F.

My 87 TC & mod list with sources

In your post, you mention "temp gauge doesnt work" and then later on you mention that your car has oil and you're sure it has oil pressure. i take it you're talking about the oil pressure gauge and not the temperature gauge as you said?

Almost all of the Ford oil pressure sending units that i've seen have that "canister" style for a oil pressure gauge equipped vehicles, it's called a sending unit.

Other vehicles can have just an oil pressure warning light instead of a gauge (not our Turbo Coupes), they usually call that a switch and it's usually much shorter. They call it a switch because it's either "on" or "off", unlike an oil pressure sending unit where it actually provides more measurements.

Did you get that instead? Did you get a switch for an oil pressure light instead of a sending unit for an oil pressure gauge? They are different.

It sounds like your gauge itself and wiring is fine, since the oil pressure gauge was able to go all the way up top (peg high) when you had that other sensor. So it sounds like you got an oil pressure switch for a warning light instead of an oil pressure sending unit for a gauge.

Sorry and yes I meant oil pressure and not temp. I was a little out of it yesterday. Anyone tell me a part # for theirs??