1972 C10 400 Engine Sensor Help

[lintcollector]

It is spring now so my daughter and I are back to work on trying to revive her 72 C10. We are rewiring with the help of Painless Wiring harness, but are now stumped and need some help.

I am not cool enough to embed the pics in order yet, but here's what I'd like to know:

1. Image 9816 (wiring diagram) -- Is this item what I am pointing to in image 9817, and what is it called?
(I am thinking it's the switch to tell the thermostat to release the coolant though)

2. I have gone through the wires I removed from the truck, and I don't have anything that looks like it would/should be able to connect to item in shown in 9817. Can someone please provide/post a few pics of what this should look like?

Thank you in advance.

[RustyPile]

First --- You need to understand how the thermostat works.. there is no "switch" that tells the thermostat to "do anything".. The thermostat senses or "feels" the water temperature and opens and closes on it's own in order to maintain a certain water temperature..

The switch in your diagram doesn't have anything to do with the thermostat. That switch is a type of sensor that "feels" the water temperature and turns on the "hot" light if the water gets too hot.. If your truck is equipped with a temperature gauge, then there is a temperature sensor that "informs" the gauge of the temperature..

[Steeveedee]

Go here http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ghlight=hatzie

and get the wiring diagram. In either case, there should be a wire with a female spade clip that attaches to it. Do you have a gauge or a light?

[lintcollector]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

Go here http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ghlight=hatzie

and get the wiring diagram. In either case, there should be a wire with a female spade clip that attaches to it. Do you have a gauge or a light?

Gauge on the dash.

[davischevy]

The wire is dark green.

[RustyPile]

This bears mentioning.. The diagram in your post is wrong for your truck.. The diagram in your post is for a dash with idiot lights.. This is why Steeveedee advised you to get a diagram.. You need one for gauges.. There is some minor differences in wire coloring and some circuits are missing in the idiot light diagram that are present in the gauge diagram.. For instance the amp gauge circuit. But the big difference is the arrangement of the wires in the cluster plug.. Getting those wires in the wrong position will lead to damaged parts when you apply electrical power..

There is a logical and "organized" process that must be followed when rewiring a vehicle, especially if/when the original is missing, hacked, or otherwise not in a condition to be used as a guide.

Trying not to sound critical or condescending, but my suggestion for you is if you're having trouble deciphering the components and following the diagram, get some "hands on" help from a knowledgeable person.. The last thing any of us want to happen is for your daughter to be out riding around and because of some wiring error, her truck dies and leaves her stranded. Or worse yet, catches on fire and burns down.

[lintcollector]

Originally Posted by RustyPile

This bears mentioning.. The diagram in your post is wrong for your truck.. The diagram in your post is for a dash with idiot lights.. This is why Steeveedee advised you to get a diagram.. You need one for gauges.. There is some minor differences in wire coloring and some circuits are missing in the idiot light diagram that are present in the gauge diagram.. For instance the amp gauge circuit. But the big difference is the arrangement of the wires in the cluster plug.. Getting those wires in the wrong position will lead to damaged parts when you apply electrical power..

There is a logical and "organized" process that must be followed when rewiring a vehicle, especially if/when the original is missing, hacked, or otherwise not in a condition to be used as a guide.

Trying not to sound critical or condescending, but my suggestion for you is if you're having trouble deciphering the components and following the diagram, get some "hands on" help from a knowledgeable person.. The last thing any of us want to happen is for your daughter to be out riding around and because of some wiring error, her truck dies and leaves her stranded. Or worse yet, catches on fire and burns down.

Thank you for fleshing out the recommendation, as the comment I never heard growing up was, "He's so bright his dad calls him sun/son."

We have been using the idiot diagram for reference, recognizing it is not an exact match as the cluster is different. We've been following the Painless Wiring booklet as the primary, and then the idiot guide as a "rule of thumb" and not as gospel.

I will switch over to the recommended wiring guide recommended and put away that pretty wiring guide/image and use the original wiring manual that was hyperlinked, in connection with the Painless wiring manual.

Thanks all for your help, no sacred cows here, so no offense will be taken.

Mike