False overheating question

[ttraut@unlockit]

Last year I struggled to figure out why my 383 RR kept getting hot. My temperature guage, which usually had been fairly low was now creeping up to the H. The funny thing is that taking a temp reading in the radiator showed 190 degrees -- perfect!

I bought a mechanical temp guage but have not been able to bust loose the setscrew hole on my water pump housing to insert it. (As a side note, if anyone has a way to bust that setscrew out, let me know. I've tried an impact wrench, breaker bar, etc.)

Last night I noticed that turning on my headlights made the temp guage go up; turning them off made it go down. So (being the smart guy I am), I figgered it's an electrical problem, not a heating problem.

Question: Where should I start looking for electrical leaks that would cause the temp guage to change when the lights are turned on?

Thanks,

Terry

[dwc43]

I'd start with the normal stuff first. Go have it checked for free at Advance and see if the Alt. or Reg. is working like it should. If you dont have enough power and put a heavy load on like lights it has to take the power from some where so? Plus that gauge works of ohms. The more the sender grounds it the more the gauge goes up. Are you sure the engine is properly grounded to the frame as well as teh Batt. ?

[ehostler]

First off, I would never trust the old, outdated factory gauge. They were barely accurate when the car was new.

The best place for the new sender is to replace the factory sender.

For your problem with the headlights, you need to check ALL of your grounds. Make sure that you have a good engine/body ground and a good engine/battery ground. Make sure that your headlights are properly grounded (sometimes corrosion can get between the ground wire and the body).

Have the chargin system tested, to be sure that it is in good order. You may also want to replace the dash voltage regulator.

[71383bee]

Those plugs can be a pain to remove. I just added mechanicals to my 383 about a month ago.

This is a must do in my opnion even if you have a basic daily driver.

I did not have a problem with the water plug, but the extra oil plug would not budge. I ended up buying some brass nipples and a tee and I teed in both sending units from the same passage. I put the stock electric sending unit on the bend because I wanted the direct oil pressure to go straight to the mechanical gauge to give me the best possible reading. The temp unit is the same just larger pipe thread. Any good hardware store will have brass fittings to do this.

Now it looks pretty cool...all of the stock gauges work and I can look in corner to see the actual readings.

[6pakman]

check all grounds through out the whole engine compartment and under the dash. thats where its at.i once did a false burnout!