Wiring Hocus-pocus

[TeamRinaldi]

So I'm good mechanically, but this new fangled wiring concept has me stumped. Two issues, my temperature gauge doesn't work. Hasn't since I bought her ('85 C-10 by the way, w/ 305). I checked what I believe to be the temp sensor, it's getting power. Second issue, cruise doesn't work. Again, never has. I'm totally clueless with this one. Anyone have any guesses? It's probably something silly, it always seems to be.......

[old Rusty C10]

if the sensor is getting power check for power at the guage if the guage is getting power then its the guage itself

[babyJay]

you should be able to take the connector from the temp sensor that is on the driver's side head (the one on the intake [if so equipped] is for the comp) straight to ground. If your guage goes all the way up, your sensor is bad. My trucks don't have cruise, so I can't help much there, other than to tell you one of the two switches on your brake pedal will dis-engage the cruise when the switch is depressed. If it's misaligned and depressed all the time, your cruise will never engage.

[TeamRinaldi]

Boy I didn't think about the pedal switch. I had to adjust that on my mom's '95 blazer. I'll check the wire on the switch this afternoon and hopefully have some luck. Thanks a lot guys.

[mckpaul]

On my 84, the temp sensor for the gauge is on the driver side head (as mentioned above). It's a one wire sensor, if memory serves located below the exhaust manifold, not too far from the spark plugs. I've been looking for a new connector for mine for the longest. The factory end on the cable fell apart, I have just a female spade lug on the end of the wire squeezed closed enought that it stays snapped on the little button head of the sensor.

Depending on how the wire is routed to the sensor, you might follow the sensor wire back to where it is bundled into the harness. Since it has to get routed around the exhause manifold, and since our trucks are so old, the wire may have gotten into the manifold and melted the insulation away. That would typically ground out and make the gauge read high, but with no insulaton and constant heat, the exposed wire strands would eventually get brittle and break, leaving the sensor wire hanging somewhere causing the gauge to just not work.

My cruise doen't work either. The cruise drop out switch on mine is actually a vacuum hose routed to the brake pedal with a vacuum switch on the pedal arm. Not really a switch, more of a closed off port that opens when the brake moves away from it. I messed with it a little one time, but still didn't get it working. I might have other problems but I didn't follow up to try and figure it out, my truck isn't a daily driver. If you figure the cruise thing out, let us know what you find.

[babyJay]

I apoligize, I misinformed, maybe the switch should be depressed and "open" when the pedal is pressed. If it came out of the bracket or unplugged the plunger would be out all the time.