The horrible vr woes

[jujibelly]

Hello, sometime lurker second time poster.

Ok I have a 1993 manual vr commodore. I have been doing all that I know that can fix my problem but to no avail. Let me start off with my dash temperature gauge it does not work.

I have read all the information that is on the interwebs in regards to fixing it. I have replaced the engine coolant sender that didn't work, I re-soldered the voltage regulator on my level 3 cluster that also didn't work, I replaced the engine coolant sensor (The one that sends it to the ecu) that also didn't work. I replaced the thermostat seeing as someone had a faulty temp gauge and that resolved his one but again this did not help me.

I have earthed the engine coolant sender and the temp gauge went all the way too hot, in terms of volts I get 9.70v which is presumably under because in a manual it says 10v plus, the engine coolant sensor get 11.xx which is over 10v so that seems ok.

This basically is a dead end for me I really do need my temp gauge to work haha. I don't want to replace the whole cluster ( If the cluster was broken would it not have jumped to hot when earthed?)

That is my temp issue.

Now onto my battery, I got a new 550cca battery around 2 weeks ago and in that time the car hhas started about 2-3 times not driving 1 time driving for 3 mins and one time idled for 15 mins (To check thermostat leak, none )

But after my leak test I let it idle longer to see for hose temps etc and the car died and would not start. I took apart the alternator and the brushes were almost gone so I went and replaced the voltage regulator and brushes. about 30 mins ago. Before I started the car battery was 11.6-7 volts after starting it started slowly dropping to 10.5 or so. So I turned off the car and in the mean time with the multimeter on the battery it was slowly increasing in voltage so I am assuming the new reg/brushes did not do anything.

This is really pissing me off as I am running out of things to do. I am sorry for the long post but I tried to make it detailed as possible for a decent answer that can help me fix these issues.

Again hopefully someone can lead me in the right direction.

Cheers Sam

[jujibelly]

No one has anything to say? Come on guys need help.

[jujibelly]

lol no one in this whole forum has anything to say?

[markovr]

ok putting somewhere around 60 ohm resistor from the sender wire ..the one with a single wire...(disconnected from sender) to the block...the temp gauge should go halfway...if it does there is something wrong with the sender....if not it is the gauge or something in the cluster....... if the fuel gauge works the voltage stabiliser in the cluster itself should be ok
With the regulator in the alternator make sure you have the spring contacts from the windings touching the metal contact on each side of the regulator...you can install the regulator with the spring contacts sitting behind where it should go against ..take the regulator off again and put the regulator in square so it mates correctly with the spring contacts before doing up the 2 screws...try that....

[jujibelly]

Thanks for your reply mate, I have a brand new sender in so that shouldn't be the problem anymore. I will have a look at the contact points again but I am more than 100% that it was put back properly.