capillary tube temp sender
 

72 280se. I want to get my instrument cluster out; I know the temp sender must be taken off the engine....no thread really specifies procedure. I'm thinking that I loosen the nut and pull out the tube from the engine? Loosen the nut because the whole unit wants to turn and I don't want to kink the line. Please comment. thanks

Have you thought about pulling the temp guage from the cluster instead? I think the coaxial wire to the sensor gets fragile after roasting 40 yrs next to the cyl head.

not sure how to do that; pull the gauge out of the cluster. There's a couple of screws on the back of the cluster but it looks quite odd to me, I'll go back and look at it again, How do I take the cluster itself apart? I've got it out, but the temp gauge wire is holding it. Can I cut that wire and connect later; I'm lost here for sure.

Well, all I wanted was to look at odometer and clock, got both of those out so not an issue anymore; anyway it isn't listed anywhere about how to remove the temp sender from the engine; it's always "remove t.s. etc" Still would be good info to know for the future since the part is 150.00+.

Yeah the coil wire covering the sensor tends to bind. So when you remove the 14mm bolt head the entire unit tends to move as a unit. Thats not a problem so long as you move everything as a unit, but eventually you do bind the cappillary tube and it will break.
Best way is to soak it in penetrating fluid and try to work on it in a day or two later, otherwise pre-stress the coil by turning the cluster 'x' turns and working the stressed coil towards the 14mm bolt. Then turn the 14mm bolt the number of turns that the cluster has down. You need to think this through before you do it.
If you do break the the thermostat, oh well, I think I have an extra. My cost is $15