790 Temerature Gauge

[JDDan]

The temperature gage on my 790 seems to only work intermittantly. Works better when it cold outside. On hot days it rarely works. Shop said to ground lead at sender. If it doesn't register max temp on gage, replace the gage. I checked it and it appears the gage needs to be replaced. The whole intrument cluster has to be replaced as one unit at a cost of $400. Has anyone come up with a better/cheaper fix for this.
Thanks
JDDan

 

[Muxster]

Here is the page from the tech manual on the temperature sensor and guage. Although, I wonder about the sensor info accuracy in that the sensor is probably not on-off at a particular temperature but variable as temperature varies. You could remove the sensor and try the test. Also try the guage test.