temp gauge pegged hot

[pjmoreland]

For anyone who has been following this thread, it appears that the top post of the gauge was contacting the metal mounting plate, as shown in the photo below where the resistance between the top and bottom posts was basically zero. After repositioning the gauge slightly in the mounting holes, and after performing more bench tests to confirm a still functional gauge, it is mounted back in the truck, and it's working.

To recap, the sender was bad (new from LMC), and the gauge was bad (confirmed with a bench test). The replacement gauge ended up with the top post shorted out on the mounting plate. It started working once the mounting position of the gauge was adjusted.