If the "wire" is "bare" it probably isn't a wire.
Does the "sender" have a threaded stud and a nut or a slip on connector for the wire as shown in Guitplayer's picture below holding the wire on? If so, it is electric and the wire should not be bare.
If not, the gauge is mechanical and the wire is actually a tube containing a gas that increases in pressure as the engine gets hotter, moving the needle in the gauge. It the tube had been broken the gas escapes and the needle sits on cold forever.
Last edited by Bill Hanlon; 07/25/2023 4:35 PM.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12
'52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
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