Location for auxiliary temp gage sender

Posted by Fred Puhn On 2012/7/18 10:31:26

My 1950 Deluxe 8 has the original Packard gage without numbers so I wanted a more accurate gage as a backup. I bought a new old style Steward Warner "wings" mechanical temp gage and put it in a bracket under the dash. It looks very nive and retro but gives erratic readings. I put the sender in a tee fitting at the outlet of the water pump because I could not find another location on the engine. The tee fitting is to supply water to the heater. I almost can say the gage sender is in the heater hose rather than in the engine coolant flow. The erratic gage readings seem to improve if I turn the heater on, but who wants the heater on in the summer?

Does anyone have a suggestion for a better location for the auxiliary temperature gage. I do not want to abandon my original gage because I like 2 readings to be safe. My problem seems to be in the tee fitting. The sender probably sits in an air bubble and the readings are quite low and vary as you drive or as you turn on the heater.