[Tigers] Don's follow up comment Temp Gauge Reading High

[Donald Antilla]

Graham: Please pardon my ignorance, but will you let me know if you have a classic Smiths gauge setup, or a Ford type?
My comment prior about grounding the case assumes you have a Smith’s type system. In that case, you do need to ground your indicator case or- as happened to me- you get flakey readings.
Don

From: Tigers <tigers-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of Stu <sabre2tgr at gmail.com>
Date: Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 7:37 PM
To: gharlowe at comcast.net <gharlowe at comcast.net>
Cc: tigers at autox.team.net <tigers at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Tigers] Temp Gauge Reading High
A high reading indicates there is a higher current flowing through the gauge,  so a poor connection is unlikely.  Is your tank near empty or full?  A bad regulator might make less of a difference if the gauge is near empty.

The voltage regulator gets its ground through it's mounting screw.  It would not be a first if there's a bit of corrosion under there.  In a quiet place, turn on the key, don't start it, and you should be able to hear the  stock voltage regulator ticking away..

For some more hints, here's a link to my old article on gauge troubleshooting.

TigersUnited.com<http://www.tigersunited.com/techtips/BrennanGauge/rt-BrennanGauge1.asp>

Both gauges have the same innards, so you can swap leads and see what happens with the pointer angles.

Stu

On Thu, Aug 21, 2025 at 5:57 PM gharlowe--- via Tigers <tigers at autox.team.net<mailto:tigers at autox.team.net>> wrote:

Hey all –

It’s been quiet here so hoping to T-up an easy discussion.

My temp gauge is reading about 25 degrees high.   I noticed it after a shop installed a new clutch, which required the engine to be removed, coolant drained, etc., but nothing that should have affected how the gauge reads.  Running on a cool day, temps were reading around 215-220 degrees.  To ensure I wasn’t actually in danger of overheating, I checked various water-cooled locations with an infrared thermometer.   Highest reading was right at the water neck/thermostat housing (191 deg F).   The fuel gauge is reading accurately.  I understand the under-dash instrument stabilizer can affect both instruments, but in this case, only one gauge is off.  I plan to check the ground to the temp gauge and clean contact points at the engine sending unit and at the gauge.   Any other suggestions?

Thanks and I hope all is well out there!

Graham Harlowe
B382001466
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