Temperature Gauge Wire HELP :)

[Joshua Keith]

Truck is a 1985 K10.

Just bought the truck and the temp gauge is not working. It has an aftermarket gauge installed which doesn’t work either, but I’m wanting to go back to the original gauge and wire or cable. The problem is I don’t know what that cable/wire looks like. I have found 2 wires in the engine bay in which the plugs are melted. This may be it, but I just don’t know. Need your help in showing me what the plug is suppose to look like.

 

[CSFJ]

Iirc, the wire for the temp sender was dark green on the older trucks. Not sure if it remained the same into the eighties.

 

[crpntr78]

Mine is still green on my 86.

 

[eskimomann209]

Yep dark green and it’s on the drivers side close to the front of the engine. ( farthest from firewall)
It’s typically a single wire.
Brass sender/ sensor

 

[C10MixMaster]

be aware the ac and ac throttle solenoid wires are green to..

 

[Kim Burke]

be aware the ac and ac throttle solenoid wires are green to..

I was wondering what the green wire was that didnt make the temp guage work?? ;-) If I hooked up an A/C throttle solenoid, that's the wire to use?

 

[C10MixMaster]

I was wondering what the green wire was that didnt make the temp guage work?? ;-) If I hooked up an A/C throttle solenoid, that's the wire to use?

The A/C harness is separate. it will have a 2 wire connector on the fire wall over the distributor. the light green goes to the throttle solenoid ,the dark green is the A/C clutch wire. The dark green wire for the temp gauge will be part of the engine harness.

if you hooked the ac wire to the temp sender and it had 12v on it, the sender is probably dead.

 

[Kim Burke]

Switched green wires and boom, temp gauge worked. I was curious(but not enough to find out) what the first wire was supposed to be hooked to. Thanks for the info, I’m always amazed at the level of expertise on this forum!