Mi16 Aftermarket Oil Temp Gauge

[dicky20014 4]

Ive searched for this and not come up with much. Im currently finishing off my build (mi on bodies) and have done some research into oil coolers. Ive come to the conclusion that they can quite often do more harm than good if they are keeping the oil under temp, even ones with a thermostat as the oil still bleeds through to avoid a drop in pressure. Car will be a daily with occasional track use. So I think the best route would be to monitor oil temps to see if I actually need one or not. As the standard oil temp gauge isnt very accurate, does anyone have any good recommendations for an accurate aftermarket one? Am I better to use the oe sender or a aftermarket one as sold with the gauge? I have a mechanical oil pressure gauge and I know pressure is directly related to temperature, but would it be better to be safe and have both?

 

Is something like this suitable?

 

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/gauges-auxiliary/stack-oil-temperature-gauge-electrical

 

Or maybe a mechanical one?

 

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/gauges-auxiliary/racetech-oil-temperature-gauge-mechanical

 

Other suggestions welcome!

 

cheers

 

Rich

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

There's no harm having a decent temp gauge although I personally have only ever used the standard ones in my own cars. They're perhaps not mega accurate but they give you a very good indication of whats going on.

 

I have however recently fitted a full set of stepper motor gauges to my old chaps car(non 205),you get an easy to read 270 deg sweep like a mechanical gauge but there's no need to run capilaries/oil lines into the car.

 

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/gauges-auxiliary/stack-professional-oil-temperature-gauge

 

Bloody expensive though!

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

Easy option is to use SPA gauges (my personal preference).

 

But another option is to get yourself a calibrated sensor from somewhere like KA Sensors, then get yourself a PanelPilot and configure it to read up to 2 sensors in any graphical format you fancy. If you're just planning on measuring one sensor, the cost saving of the PanelPilot is a bit marginal really. But if you make use of it's 2 inputs it's way cheaper than any other dual gauge on the market.

 

The principle :-

 

The result...

[dicky20014 4]

Both of them options look good though more expensive than I expected. Would you say you trust your standard gauge allanallen? I also dont like the sight of aftermarket gauges and I'm struggling to think of somewhere to put another one (got my oil pressure in the drivers side air vent). Hmmm its a tricky one....

[engine killer 6]

There is room down the digital clock (the clock or the cigarette lighter) but you probably won't be able to read it while driving.

 

I quite like the brumster idea and have it split to 4 squares display, the oil pressure, oil temperature and water temperature and one more box as an blinking red if any one of them trigger the alarm. But I do not think I will be able to do it.

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

The PP's only have two inputs per unit, so you won't be able to get 4 displayed on 1 screen unfortunately. But that's not so bad still.

 

The PP's are a piece of piss to configure, I promise you. Mini USB connector to a PC/laptop, some PP software and away you go. It's all wizard-based. Don't think you'll be writing microcode or anything!

[engine killer 6]

But I really have got no idea now to make a circuit board between the display and the sensors

[Weser 30]

By the looks of it I think that circuit board is just powering up the display and giving some demo readings to the sensor inputs. I might be wrong though.

[dicky20014 4]

Well I've done a bit more research and found that you can get dual oil temp and pressure mechanical gauges so I've bit the bullet and gone for one of these

 

http://www.obpltd.co...ture-dual-gauge

 

 

More than I wanted to pay, but this enables me just to keep the one gauge but have both oil pressure and oil temperature on it. Plus there both mechanical lines, and being mechanical by trade, I trust mechanical things more than electrical (this may be right or wrong in the real world, Im not sure!). Can re-coup a bit of the money by selling the other gauge aswell.

 

I'll post a picture when its arrived and fitted incase anyone else is thinking of doing similar and wants to see how it looks before they do it.

Edited June 1, 2012 by dicky20014

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

By the looks of it I think that circuit board is just powering up the display and giving some demo readings to the sensor inputs. I might be wrong though.

 

Aye, correct

 

I could have sold you a board, btw ;-) !!

https://lh5.googleus...0704_173929.jpg

 

..edit, I should say, for what you're after you probably wouldn't have needed one.

Edited June 1, 2012 by brumster