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Ok, i have a few questions on some parts for my firedome, and believe me, i searched for answers to these questions both online and extensively in the service manual to no avail.
so the first, can anyone tell me the location of the coolant temp sensor on the engine? there are diagrams in the service manual, but not on its location. along with this, can anyone suggest a place to get a replacement? it seems that when looking for replacement parts like this, a search online usually yields tons of miscellaneous parts carriers that seems to have generic parts that arent actually for the desoto....if that makes sense.
related to the situation above, im in need of some plug wires and i assume that there are new material replacements for the old style with the ceramic insulators. i did find generic plug sets, but some of them were the type where you make your own and im honestly not interested in that. others that i found were, as i said, not vehicle specific it seemed.
a few more parts that i have been actively looking for, but have had little luck in finding are the cowl mirrors. there were ones on the car when i bought it that were the same style as the stockers, but the mounting holes were different and thus they needed brackets to fasten them to the car and it looked like crap. i removed them and used the clip on type that fasten on the door with set screws but i noticed that the set screws made the door not able to close fully up top and leaked a bit.
lastly, im trying to find ONE dash knob, i dont really care which one it is or its condition so long as it matches the rest.
im pretty sure that im missing stuff, but this gets me started. trust me guys and gals, i searched for this stuff, i hate making posts if the info is readily available. i have check our forum links for parts as well and some of them are a real pain in the a** to navigate.
thank you
Josh
BAMBAML19@AOL.COM
Coolant temp sensor is located in the intake manifold just above the number 5 spark plug hole (3rd one back on left side) Usual sources for parts.
Plug wires are special on the hemi as they need a long firm insulator. I get mine from Dale Wilch and yes, they are cut to fit. Available in colors and black. You do not need the top-fuel drag racing wires.
Can't help with the mirror other than tell you to watch ebay and post a wanted ad in the Adventures and other places.
Which knob do you need? I got some but they probably are attached to a switch.
Have a nice day
Steve
Steve beat me to it, but here's an image of the left side of the engine. We have a red plastic plug in the intake manifold to keep the dust out of the intake until the sending unit is actually installed.
One thing to consider when possible is to keep the original sending units. We have had a terrible time with aftermarket sending units reading accurately on the dash gauge. Sometimes it's hard to convince someone that the engine is not actually hot when they are staring at a gauge that says that it is, all because of a crappy modern sending unit.
It's supposed to be fun!
1949 De Soto Custom Convertible (project)
steve and tim, thank you very much, i noticed that sensor and i thought that may be it but i wasnt sure. it was one of the few things i couldnt identify, which is why i suspected it as being the sensor in question. steve, as for the knob, i wouldnt mind a switch being attached to the knob if that is the way you would want to sell them, and im not really picky about which one it is as im planning on using it for something other than intended. if you dont mind, send me an email with some pics, if you have them, and an idea of what you want for them. as for the plug wires, i am familiar with the wires for the hemi engines but i wasnt sure if some of those that i was finding would work because there werent pics so i was unsure. im going to check into those that you suggested, i assume a quick search will yield a place to purchase these? if not, perhaps you can provide me with said information. as for the mirrors, i have been keeping an eye out for them on ebay, craigslist, local meets, salvage yards, and everywhere in between to no avail. ill just keep searching, im sure some will turn up eventually.
tim, i think i understand what you are saying, hopefully i only need to replace the actual sensor in the manifold. if this is the case, the situation you are describing is no concern correct? is there a way to test said sensor before i aimlessly replace it? i know on my modern vehicles, a resistance or impedance test will commonly reveal a faulty sensor. oh, and while im thinking about it, i took from what you guys said that the sensor itself is pretty common to find new? or an i looking for a NOS one? along my search i hadnt been able to find a single photo of the actual part to know whether or not it was correct.
thanks again for the advice, i appreciate it.
Josh
BAMBAML19@AOL.COM
steve, i search for the dale wilch info and if i found it, the ones that he has are the Taylor ones. are these the ones that you are referring to? also, they are ones in which you have to crimp the dizzy end on yourself. im not lazy, i would just prefer premade ones if they are out there.
EDIT- I also just found this on ebay but it says that its for a 56. will this work for me?
Josh,
Hello again! Over the years, I've compiled the following list of temperature sending units, mostly from seeing them offered for sale on eBay. I cannot guarantee accuracy but it's a good start. You may be able to find a local parts store with one of these on the shelf or knowledgeable parts counter person that can cross one of these old numbers to a current number. Hope this helps.
Ampco Temperature Sending Unit TU1
Autolite Temperature Sending Unit 13550A
Big A Poweready Temperature Sending Unit 20-1023
General Automotive Temperature Sending Unit T-2000 (equivalent to MoPar #1507050)
Guaranteed Parts Temperature Sending Unit TSU 23
Preferred Parts Temperature Sending Unit TU-40 Replaces MoPar #1507050
Standard Temperature Sending Unit TS-1 Also 20-1023
Tungsten Temperature Sending Unit TS-1
Vulcan Temperature Sending Unit WTV-300 replaces MoPar part No 1507050
Wizard (Western Auto) Temperature Sending Unit L-2640
great mark, thanks for the tip, i appreciate it, ill look into it this afternoon!
Josh
