Your Chevy car or truck has a temperature gauge sender that sends a signal to tell the temperature gauge when to open the thermostat and allow coolant from the radiator to be released throughout the engine's cooling ducts to keep your engine from overheating. It is fairly easy to locate the sender if you know what to look for.
Allow engine to cool.
Using the service manual for your year and model of Chevy, determine whether your engine is a straight-model engine or a transverse-mounted engine. The sender location will be determined based on which way the engine is situated.
Look for a spark plug-shaped unit that is screwed into the side of the engine block facing you from the front of the vehicle. In the case of a side-mounted engine, the front of the block is facing the left side of the vehicle when looking from the front of the vehicle and the sender will be located in this area.
Locate the spark plug-shaped unit screwed into the side of the engine block and look for a single red wire coming from the top terminal of the unit. The wire should join the general wire harness and go back to the dash area to the temperature control unit and temperature gauge.
Look in the service manual for your year model vehicle if you have trouble finding the sender.
