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Temp sending unit question

Mastiff

Mastiff

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I bought a Stewart Warner temp gauge and didn't notice that the dumb thing doesn't including the sending unit. This is for my CUCV which currently has an idiot light and must have an on/off type sender. My question is, is a sending unit a sending unit, or do I have to buy a Stewart Warner one? In other words, can I just go to O'Reilley and grab any small block application sender? This is a 100-240 gauge, if that matters.

I'm kinda peeved at the whole thing since I shopped on price a little and now I could end up spending another $15 on a sender, not to mention another week wait if I need a special one.:frown1:
 
i would check there web site for info.

i know that autometer had few diffrent resistance ranges on there stuff over the years.

also some brands work low to high and other high to low for how the gauge reacts to resistance.
 
What web site? :doah:

I'm sure they would just tell me to buy their overpriced sender which requires multiple potentially leaking adapters for my application. Of course they won't say the resistance range either since then somebody could get the $5 equivalent sender.

I'm just hoping someone here has dealt with this before. Otherwise I may just send this thing back.
 
Thanks. Mine's a 100-240 gauge, so I think this is the one they want me to get:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sww-280ea/overview/

$20 is like half of what I paid for the gauge. I'll probably just have to eat that, but I'm not happy. I was ready to go on this and it's like, where's the frickin' sender. Oops, another $25 and 5 days wait. :doah: Should have gotten the Autometer.
 
You must buy the sending unit that goes with the gauge in this case a Stewart Warner sending unit.
 
thay should make it CLEAR that sender do not come with the gauge like the other brands do when thay include the sender.
 
sweetk30 said:
thay should make it CLEAR that sender do not come with the gauge like the other brands do when thay include the sender.
Click to expand...

It's my fault as far as that goes. I just assumed since all the autometer gauges do. Certainly would have changed my mind if I had noticed.
 
I ordered the SW sender and it came today. I think I need the 3/8" adapter for my CUCV, but it seems all messed up. Check out the pics. The sender bottoms out into the adapter with no resistance at all. This is tapered thread, so there's no way it can seal. I think the adapter must be faulty, am I missing something?

2012-12-28_16-55-52_320.jpg


Bottomed out, only loosely threaded in:
2012-12-28_16-56-07_77.jpg


How far in it goes before any resistance is felt (backwards).
2012-12-28_16-56-26_336.jpg
 
NPT is supposed to seal on the threads and if the sender threads in flush with no resistance it definately wont seal. Back in the day Stewart Warner were good gauges but then they went out of business and Autometer came along and has been the best gauge since then. Stewart Warner did return but i dont think they will ever get their reputation back that they once had.
 
Go to the hardware store and grab another brass pipe thread adapter. It's not completely uncommon for various manufacturers to tap their adapter to different depths. Some are deeper than others.
Take the sender with you and just try it in the store, you'll probably find one that starts to get tight before it bottoms out.
 
Avery4jc said:
Go to the hardware store and grab another brass pipe thread adapter. It's not completely uncommon for various manufacturers to tap their adapter to different depths. Some are deeper than others.
Take the sender with you and just try it in the store, you'll probably find one that starts to get tight before it bottoms out.
Click to expand...

I thought about that, but the adapters seem sort of unusual in that the threads are mostly at the end so that the sensor can fit through. A standard adapter would probably be fully internally threaded and the sensor would be largely inside the adapter when it tightened up. Worth a look though. I suppose i could drill it part way out too if I needed to.

Stewart Warner sure lost my future business on this fiasco though.
 
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