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Post by fivedriver on May 1, 2023 19:48:31 GMT
Hi everyone, Here's a challenge for you all. How would\should I go about fitting an oil temperature gauge please? The one I am considering is by Smiths like this one at Demon TweeksIt says I'll also require a sender like thisWhere\how does the sender fit? Is it a big job to install or relatively simple. (Bare in mind I am also relatively simple  ) Any or all help and suggestions (relating to this topic) are welcome Thanks, Guy |
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Post by Roadie on May 1, 2023 20:32:26 GMT
Whatever gauge you get you will need a matching sender and some means of connecting it. Looking at the site you are looking at there are two way adapters that will add the new centre and the existing oil temperature sender. Various different threads shown which is confusing. Might cause problems with this being classic Smiths so will be imperial threads and the MX-5 will probably have metric threads. There are also adapters to fit into the sump plug.
From there you will need a wire to the gauge and then an ignition switched positive feed. The Smiths classic gauge says it also needs a voltage regulator. They are listed on the same site. Looks like some of the others don't need a regulator. There will also be an illumination connection which will just tee to an existing dash lighting connection.
End of the day it's not going to be a five minute job so do you really need it? Unless you are tracking the car then is it really going to tell you much more than the water temperature gauge?
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Post by fivedriver on May 2, 2023 12:07:18 GMT
Thanks for all of that, it's much appreciated.
Honestly, you're right about the need for the gauge. Truth be told it's more about aesthetics than function although it may be useful at some point.
I've always wanted a car with alot of dials. Oil pressure is taken care of in the clusterso temp was an alternative.
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Post by Roadie on May 2, 2023 13:15:48 GMT
Truth be told it's more about aesthetics than function although it may be useful at some point. I've always wanted a car with alot of dials. Thought that was probably the case and i know exactly what you mean. The early model Cortina 1600E with the four dials in a bubble on top of the dash did it for me when all I could afford was an Anglia. 
While oil temp is probably one of the most useful ones it's also one of the more difficult ones to fit. Easiest ones will be a voltmeter and a clock.
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Post by fivedriver on May 2, 2023 17:51:13 GMT
Yes, voltmeter and clock don't look too bad. I actually managed to get a Smiths clock to work 😲
I know.....wonders will never cease 😄
Unfotunately I dislodged the sketchy connections when I connected up the light switch and tell tale so it's not working at the mo' 🙄
I'd poked pins into the OE clock plug but they fell out. It was only ever meant to be a proof of concept. The actual clock will hopefully be connected properly 🤞😏
I also managed to get the old Voltmeter that I had in the shed working. Whether I'll repeat that feat with a Smiths version remains to be seen.
Now, if the oil temperature gauge proves a giant hurdle what about a vacuum gauge? How easy would that be to fit?
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Post by Roadie on May 2, 2023 19:22:49 GMT
I have a distant memory of fitting a vacuum gauge involving drilling and tapping a hole in the inlet manifold WITHOUT getting any swarf inside that could be injested into the cylinders. 
The alternative being an adapter plate that fitted between the manifold and the carburetor. That tells you how long it is since I read up on stuff like this. |
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