T"u"Rtle

Okay I was wondering would the fact that I'm throwing a code 6 have anything to do with the fact that my temp gauge is not working??? Are they two seperate units that do not depend on each other to balance things out, like if the temp gauge is not working would this cause the ECT sensor to not work?? Or do I need to just replace the ECT sensor and then try and figure out the temp gauge issue or will fixing the temp gauge also eliminate the code 6 for the ECT sensor?? Any help would be greatly appreciated.