When I initially got my Dart running before Christmas,I ran it for a few minutes without coolant,Watched the temp gauge run into the middle of the gauge(stock cluster)

I shut it off,let it cool down and proceeded to top off the radiator with water.

Now I can drive the car around the neighborhood,and the temp gauge doesnt move one bit. Could It be the sending unit faulty? How can I test to be sure its gauge or the sender?

Ground the sending wire. Turn the key on and if the gauge climbs then the problem is going to be in the sender. Don't let it get all the why up or you could fry the gauge.

Well I did as suggested,the gauge climbed real quick and I turned the key of as fast as possible.


So why would the sender quit after I put water back into the cooling system,but work when there wasnt any water in the system?

Who knows. Maybe it was on it's last legs and just decided to quit to bug you. Double check to see that the sender wire connector is clean and making good contact.

I took the sending unit out,Cleaned all the threads where it goes into the head,and the threads where the connector goes,reinstalled,then I pinched the connector to make a tighter fit and pressed it back on. Took the car out for a spin and still no reading,so the sending unit has to be the culptrit.Its cheap enough,no worries