Alright, hopefully this is a silly question with a really simple answer...
I just got through swapping out the carb and intake (along with water housing and new t-stat) on my 289. Now, as soon as I turn on the switch, the temp gauge instantly pegs to the hot side. I don't even have to crank the engine before it happens. It seems like I've got something wired backwards, but the only wiring I messed with was the electric choke for the carb.
Any advice for a learner? Thanks in advance.

 

Thermostat may be in backwards. I know when they start to go they will make the needle wander around and there is nothing wrong with the coolant temp.

 

you didnt mess with the temp sender in the intake? should have a wire going to it, could be the stat or that sensor

 

what degree stat you use? if it was something way diffrent than stock it may read diffrently on the stock guages.

 

Even if the thermostat's in backwards it shouldn't start right off at hot, it will still take a minute or two at least to get there. If it's instantly going to hot then it's gotta be wiring or the sending unit.

 

when you swapped the intake, you had to remove the temp sending unit and transfer it to the new manifold and somehow this may have broken it causing the problem. replace it with a new one and see what this does.

 

Yeah, I bet it's the temp sender. I didn't even think about that. This is really the first time I've driven it since swapping intakes.

 

Yeah, I went back and looked and where the temp. sending unit is supposed to go on my new intake and I had plugged it and then grounded my wire. So I sent my old sending unit off with my old intake when I sold it. Good job, huh?
I'm learning. I'm learing the hard way, but I'm learning, hehe...
Thanks for the help, guys.

 

I was afraid you might have done that, or at least grounded the sending wire anyway b/c that's what makes a gauge peg like that, no resistance.
Like you said, you live and you learn, no big loss though, sending units are relatively cheap. good thing you remembered to pull the carb off the old maniford, huh? LOL

 

Yeah, seriously! A carb would've been a little more expensive to replace, hehe...
Thanks!