temperature gauge not working

So guys i fixed my speedo cable recently and ended up with a broken temperature gauge, can anyone possibly help me out, the only thing i did was remove the plugs behind the instrument panel, the car is a 1994 nissan sentra, or a nissan b13 as it's commonly known.

Ign in after a voltage stabiliser, shared with your fuel gauge, a ground and a third wire going to ground through the temp sensor, which will be near to the thermostat on the engine block.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

I forgot! Find that wire that goes to the temp sensor, turn on ignition and short that wire to ground, or do it at rear of instrument panel,if the gauge moves your problem is the sensor. If it doesn't move check the gauge wiring, it might be the stabiliser unless your fuel gauge works properly.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

Fuel gauge works, howard, so how would i find the temperature wire? Where is the sensor supposed to be?

Why am I answering this, you opened this thread with"So I"
First fail!
At gauge you will have one wire at 9-12Volts+, one going to ground, one possibly illumination, and the last goes to the temp. sensor, located   on the engine block should be adjacent to the thermostat housing, top hose entry, any way at top of block.
Ground this with the ignition on, your needle should swing over all the way, if so either a wire break,try it at the sensor end to eliminate that or a faulty sensor...quite common.


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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

Ok howard, be gentle, imma try what you told me and post back on tuesday, my tools are at work, won't have it till monday evening.

Raid your Dad's (or Uncle's) toolbox!

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

Neither of them posess a dmm.

Come on think outside of the box Darren!
No 12volt light bulbs, bits of cable and a pocket knife floating about? I wouldn't even look for a DMM to work on a car of this age.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

Just look for a single wire going to object on the block, turn on the ignition, bare some cable and ground it. Then if the gauge swings full deflection, you know it's the sensor because the gauge and wiring are OK Auto-Electrics 101.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

If the fans still come on when they're supposed to, could the thermostat still be defective?

Probably not unless they use a separate thermal sensor aka "otter switch" built in to the rads like Jaguar and Jensen used to do.
I haven't been able to find a circuit diagramme for the car, aka "Sunny" then "Almeira" in the UK.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

Oooo! Grounding "sender" wires!
Nah - cool for quality - I mean, older cars!


Fans switches are separate to temp senders (usually).
I think the switches tend to be called "coolant sensors". (To me that is a fluid detector). Often one or 2 wires.
The resistive gauge senders etc temp sensors etc. Usually single wire.


I'm off to a wreckers yesterd... today so I'll check some '94 Nissans. Rats - I know the N13 Nissans (or rather, their Delco EMS and 70A alternators - my first upgrade from 23A with external mech alternators).


FYI - though gauges may operate off ~8V (eg, fuel & temp; usually not oil pressure), older cars use pulsing bi-metal voltage regulators, hence either on or +12V but averages out to ~8V.
Pulsing may not start until the (thermal) gauges have hit their correct deflection.   

Just a potential trap for those expecting to find or check 8V with raw DMMs etc.
(And there is never any need to worry about reverse polarity for those gauges - they are non-polar. But avoid raw 12V into fuel tank senders - just in case of oxygen!)

Yellow wire? Single. Not 2-wire.

1993 U13 is a Bluebird down here, but no B13 found.
No radiators in the few samples, but saw a similar with temp sender on gearbox end of engine (E-W engine; aka our & yUK's nearside, stateside's offside) and 2-wire fan switch nearby; on end of head, down a bit.


But yellow is very likely to be the wire color.