mikey7134 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Im after some advice / suggestions.. Problem being, the temperature gauge is reading low. - As in after running for an hour or so, the needle is only at the bottom of the 'C' section. Possible causes: 1) Sender at fault - it is a brand new Series sender, and (i'm almost certain) the old 200tdi sender gave the same reading. (Never really ran it long enough to fully test, though). 2) Bad sender earth - when shorting the wire to the sender,,, to the body of the sender, gauge goes to full showing earth is okay. 3) Faulty gauge - as above,, gauge does go to full when shorted. 4) Faulty voltage stabiliser - Is a brand new unit, and im getting a steady 10-point-something volts from it. Also, the fuel guage works as expected (well, almost (when the tank is full, the gauge reads 3/4, and fluctuates occasionally. When shorting the wire to earth, the gauge will sit still at 'Full' - I'm putting the fluctuations down to a bad fuel sender? )) Do you have any suggestions on what this might be, or what i can try, to find the problem? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 5) Faulty thermostat.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Was the sender one of the Steve Parker specials? I have read others on here having trouble with those. Just use a genuine sender for the year your vehicle was made as there were a few different types over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey7134 Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 It was an ebay job: " THERMAL TRANSMITTER OIL OR WATER Part number: PRC2505Applicable Models:Land Rover Series 3Defender to vin FA389798 Product Description:Temperature sender unit." The radiator gets plenty warm enough, so not the stat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_grieve Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 The low reading fuel gauge would have me looking at the voltage stabiliser and it's earth on the back of the gauges. Are the gauges earthed by a separate earth or just indirectly through the instrument light earths or whatever? The fuel sender is a low resistance at full which is unlikely to be at fault and it shouldn't fluctuate as the gauges are so well damped the one common link is the stabiliser. Stick a solid state one in and don't short it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Has it worked properly previously, or is this a new conversion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serious Series Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 This unit is from a range rover 300tdi and fits 200tdi engine recommended by Glencoyne engineering works ok in mine sits just below red line. Engine has 88 degree stat fitted so I do not expect it to be on the N mind some others that have fitted it say theirs sit just above the N. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-300-TDi-Temperature-sender-unit-AMR1425-/290397322219?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I use a genuine SIII sender, and with the 88oC stat get a steady temperature smack i the middle of the normal arc (the lower edge of the needle touches the top left corner of the "N"). If you don't want to pay for a genuine sender, try Bearmach - they're the only pattern supplier I trust. But people should really start to learn that cheap deals on the net, especially ebay, and particularly for unbranded parts, often cost more in the long run. Pattern might be fine for non-essential items like trim, but for mechanical or essential electrics, OEM is always the safest bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 If you are sure everything is right, disassemble the gauges, pull the needle off and put it on in the right place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey7134 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 It's still being a right PITA. What i've done so far is swap the voltage stabiliser to another (same results - fuel works, temperature doesnt) Oddly though, it worked without earthing the body of the stabiliser..? I have also tried the old 200tdi sender. Sat it in boiling water for a while, then connected it up, and earthed the body - no change on gauge. Makes me think its the gauge, but as i say, when i shorted out the sender before, the gauge would go to full. When on an hour & half journey yesterday, the gauge only went up so far as the bottom of the "C" section. Surely this isnt right? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 The Defender and Discovery senders are incompatible with SII or SIII gauges. Why not follow the advice given and fit the correct sender for the gauge you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey7134 Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Sorry, should have been clearer. I have a Series 3 sender fitted (with the thread adapter) to the engine, all connected up to the standard Series 3 gauges. I simply tried the 200 sender that came out of the engine, to try and eliminate possible causes of the problem - i read that the 200 sender will read too high, so i was expecting an incorrect reading; i just wanted to see if that part was working or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 You stated the sender was sourced from the net, and it has already been pointed out that non-genuine senders tend to be faulty... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey7134 Posted September 26, 2013 Author Share Posted September 26, 2013 I was just reluctant to buy and change the sender unless i was sure it was this at fault - but as when the 200 tdi sender (original & genuine) was connected up, it still showed no change on the gauge, let alone a too-high reading, i thought that the odds of having 2 faulty senders were fairly slim. But, it seems like this is the only/next step?!.. So i'll order another, and try that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 I sympathise with you and understand your dilemma, but sender units are notoriously unreliable when not sourced as a genuine part, and if the 200Tdi sender is giving the same indications as the new sender, then I think it's highly likely the new sender is inaccurate or even mis-labelled. Similar discussions in other threads have suggested that most senders marketed by non-franchised LR specialists as ideal for Tdi retrofits don't work. Before you spend a lot of time and effort chasing a list of faults that probably don't exist, try a Genuine Parts petrol engine sender for the year of your vehicle. It shouldn't cost the Earth, and will be much cheaper than replacing thermostats, gauges, radiators, water pumps and so on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey7134 Posted October 6, 2013 Author Share Posted October 6, 2013 Fitted the new genuine one this weekend - thats done the trick! Working fine now Thanks chaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 The Defender and Discovery senders are incompatible with SII or SIII gauges. Sorry Nick, whole heartedly disagree. Should be incompatible yes. I however am running a genuine 200TDi Disco sender unit in my 200TDi, and using the original Series 3 gauge in the dash. With an independent gauge to check, when the stat opens at 88oC, confirmed by my VDO gauge, the Series 3 needle sits bang in the middle of the 'N'. Don't ask me why, but it's working perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serious Series Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Is your supply through the voltage regulator [10V] or are you giving it 12V I only ask as the resistances are significantly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Its original series 3 wiring so running off the regulator. We literally took the 2286 out and plugged in the 119J, then we took the 19J out and plugged in the TDi. No modifications to that side of the wiring were made. We fitted the TDi long before we discovered that there was apparently and issue with connecting the two together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 maybe a mismatch between the sender & voltage regulator for the instruments, as 90/110/defender run the sender direct to the respective gauge -- no volt reg for the gauges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 i too heard that the series guage was mismatched to a TDi sender. mine just sits perfect on the gauge and always has done. straight from the disco it was in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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