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[Deleted User]
edited November -1 in HUDSON
How come the heat sensor which screws into the head of a 52 eight cylinder will not register correctly? I have 2 N.O.S. ones that fit perfectly but will peg the hot side of the gauge as soon as the engine begins to warm up. Perhaps the 2 N.O.S. ones were originally for a 12 volt system which would influence the ohms resistance , or am I all wet in this thinking? Your thoughts please. Thanks---Cliff Minard.

Comments

  • hudson8 wrote:
    How come the heat sensor which screws into the head of a 52 eight cylinder will not register correctly? I have 2 N.O.S. ones that fit perfectly but will peg the hot side of the gauge as soon as the engine begins to warm up. Perhaps the 2 N.O.S. ones were originally for a 12 volt system which would influence the ohms resistance , or am I all wet in this thinking? Your thoughts please. Thanks---Cliff Minard.





    The following link is to a bulletin provided by Alex Burr and located on Ken Cates Stepdown site. You will find the number of the sender used for the years listed. In addition to the sender information the bulletin notes that voltage regulators were used for some models. The point... is you volts regulator operation normally?



    http://hudsonrestoration1948-54.com/PDFFiles/FUEL%20AND%20TEMPERATURE%20DASH%20UNITS.pdf
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    The two thoughts that occur, are:



    1) was the gauge itself working, before? Possibly the problem could lie there.



    2). It's possible (but highly unlikely) that both NOS sensors were bad. Sometimes antique parts vendors obtain the stock of a parts company, that may include NOS items that had been returned by the customers because they were defective, but those items somehow made it back onto the shelves.



    3). I'm a bit hazy on things electrical, but if you hooked this thing up to an ohm meter, took a reading, then submerged the sensor in a pan of boiling water, wouldn't you see the reading gradually change? If so, at least you'd know that it was working correctly?
  • 53jetman
    53jetman Senior Contributor
    hudson8 wrote:
    How come the heat sensor which screws into the head of a 52 eight cylinder will not register correctly? I have 2 N.O.S. ones that fit perfectly but will peg the hot side of the gauge as soon as the engine begins to warm up. Perhaps the 2 N.O.S. ones were originally for a 12 volt system which would influence the ohms resistance , or am I all wet in this thinking? Your thoughts please. Thanks---Cliff Minard.



    Cliff - I don't beleive the heat sensors are voltage particular, as the units that we all use now for the six cylinder engines also are used in some Chrysler & Ford engines with 12 volt electrical systems. I know the one in my Jet was also recommended for the Ford & Comet small six cylinder engine (which were both 12 vot electricals)



    Jerry

    53jetman
  • Richard E.
    Richard E. Senior Contributor
    I do know that the 6v heat sensors sold at obsolete Ford parts places fit in the Hudson but they do not work, something to do with ohms??? I am not good at auto electrics. You have to find a good Hudson one!
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    Just remember not to use any teflon tape on the threads.
  • SuperDave wrote:
    Just remember not to use any teflon tape on the threads.
    First off I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to answer my post. Dave, how would teflon tape influence the reading on my temperature gauge since that is what I used on both of the N.O.S. ones? Thanks again.---Cliff Minard
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    hudson8 wrote:
    First off I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to answer my post. Dave, how would teflon tape influence the reading on my temperature gauge since that is what I used on both of the N.O.S. ones? Thanks again.---Cliff Minard



    There is only one wire attached to the sensor. The flow of current from the wire through the variable resistance of the sensor to ground is what the guage is reading. If the sensor has a poor ground, it won't read correctly. In other words, you have placed another resistance in series with the sensor. If you used enough tape, you could prevent the guage from working all together. Most likely, there are some metal to metal contact somewhere..if you are lucky.:o
  • Uncle Josh
    Uncle Josh Senior Contributor
    Well, for about $20, you could get a mechanical gage from Auto Zone etc and take all the electrical questions out of the mix just to check it
  • SuperDave wrote:
    There is only one wire attached to the sensor. The flow of current from the wire through the variable resistance of the sensor to ground is what the gauge is reading. If the sensor has a poor ground, it won't read correctly. In other words, you have placed another resistance in series with the sensor. If you used enough tape, you could prevent the gauge from working all together. Most likely, there are some metal to metal contact somewhere..if you are lucky.:o


    Exactly... this information coupled with the Hudson Bulletin posted earlier by WILD WASP will provide you with the information needed to ID the correct sensor and voltage regulator needed to make you gauge operate correctly. The gauge in your car uses a voltage regulator to create a constant 5 Volts DC to one side of the gauge. As the heat sensor heats up the resistance to ground changes creating a changing resistance against a constant voltage which is read across the gauge. The outcome is a gauge that reads from cold to hot as the engine heats up. :)
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