Got a few questions about my most recent dodge purchase. I am new to owning dodges and now own 3 of them within the last 2 years. My most recent purchase is a 1996 ram 1500 4x4 with a 5.9 and auto. trans . it need some work and the issue I am working on now is the temp gauge in the dash. it is not working, I replaced the sending unit next to the thermostat housing behind the alt. and still not working. Now the guy I purchased the truck from told me it has a engine and trans from a 99 ram 1500. Ive read that some engines have 2 sending units next to the thermastat housing. this one does not. Anyone have an idea or a way to test the gauge in the dash before i trace out the wires? thanks for any help.

 

single wire connector for gauge sender .the 2 wire is for the ecu coolant temp sensor .you should have a single wire connector in that area of the alternator that looks like the 2 wire .the single sender wire is for the gauge.i dont have a diagram sorry and its to cold out to go take pics in ma slippers.to get your gauge to work you may need to tap a hole on the opposite side of the tstat neck and install a gauge sender.and of course find the missing single wire connector

 

Yeah, the one to the passenger side of the thermostat housing is the gauge, should be another on to the drivers side of the housing, that has a two wire connector. That one is for the PCM.

To test the gauge/wiring, simply ground the connector to something, and see if the gauge reacts.

Check resistance on your sending unit as well....

Make sure the connector gets plugged in so the wire actually goes over the pin in the sender.

Clean the connector good too.... that was my problem at one time.

 

Did some looking around today and found the single wire conector for the gage. my intake does not have the 2 ports for the 2 seperate temp sensors (ecm and gauge.) is it possible to "T" off the one port in the intake and put the 2 seperate temp sensors in or would this not be a good solution to my issue? Afraid it may not give an acurate reading.

 

You are correct, it wouldn't be accurate......

Wonder if someone changed your intake manifold.....

 

Could it be since the motor is from a 99 and the truck is a 96?

 

That would most certainly do it. I think things changed in 98......

Wonder if you could drill and tap for the second sensor?

 

just make sure you use a pipe thread tap.otherwise just drill the hole on the opposite side of the water neck where the sender would have gone originally,and tap it .

 

Yep, 1/8-27 npt. gonna drill it on the driver side intake, next to the thermastat housing.. where there is a flat that looks like it should have a sensor there. Now it should have the gage sending unit on pass. side behind alt. and the ecu sending unit on the drivers side. Is that correct?

 

Yep, that is correct.