Ambient temperature gauge.

[Phil W]

Mine stopped working for no reason last year.
I'm assuming that the unit is a stand alone unit and the only power supply required is for bulb illumination. All other instruemnts are working OK so I suspect either the sender unit. This appears to be soldered to the back of the gauge.

Does the guage and the sender unit have to be replaced as one unit? If so how do you get the torpedo like sensor through the bulkhead!

[Dave_Newcastle]

On my car the temperature sensor (thermocouple) is sat out in the nose of the car. I was told that you cant/shouldnt attempt to seperate the coiled wire and the sensor from the guage and these should be removed as a single item.

Mine came out by undoing the sensor in the nose and all the clips holding it in place along the engine bay and then gently pulling/drawing it out through the bulkhead and then through the dash hole.

Sorry but once you get it out i've no idea how its likely to be broken or how to fix it !!

Dave

[Phil W]

Thanks Dave
Did a bit of searching in the archives and it appears it mey be cheaper to buy replacement rather than repairing.

[pmallinson]

The gauge is whats called a vapour pressure type which basically means its a sealed bulb and capillary with some alcohol in it ans the warmer the alcohol gets the more gas (vapour) pressure it gives off and the low the temp the less gas as its turns back into liquid at the VPP (vapour pressure point. Hence the gauge is a pressure gauge really marked in temperature directly referenced to the temp / vapour pressure ratio of the liquid

So it has to be refilled or repaired by someone who can do it professionally the only people I know who may be able to help are http://www.jdo1.com/page8.html or
http://www.speedograph-richfield.com/ or

New are not available and your looking about 100 GBP for a working one !

Hope this helps

[Phil W]

Looks like a job for next winter when its off the road again!