Defender 90 V8 electrical problem

Hey everyone, I got my defender 5.3 v8 engine all wet, and now the temperature gauge goes all the way to red H. I tried changing the heat sensor and the thermostat, and the problem persists. I then thought there was a grounding problem and conected the sensor directly to my batery, and the temperature still shoots up, has anyone got this problem? HELP! I guess it must be an electrical problem since i did get into some dep water, but i just dont know what to try...

new guage - fixed this problem for me.

Check for shorted wires to the guage from the sender also.