3 replies to this topic

[xGAME-OVERx]

hi

i obtained an old autogauge water temperature gauge from ebay a while ago intending to fit it to a toyota yaris but never got round to it.
anyway, ive heard the standard mini one is inaccurate, so i am thinking of sticking it in my mini. however, the back looks like this:

http://s209.photobuc...nt=DSCN0713.jpg

(img tags dont seem to work, sorry)

any ideas what should connect to the bit ive arrowed? its obviously for the sensor, but does it need an electrical sensor, or does it need to have some sort of water flow? im guessing the latter but any advice/knowledge would be greatly appreciated!

thanks in advance
scott

[dklawson]

That is a capillary tube gauge, not electric. That's unfortunate for you. There should be a thin copper tube exiting that hole with a coil spring wrapped around it for protection. It's usually about 5 feet long and terminates in an expansion bulb that screws into the cylinder head of an A-series engine.

The gauge requires repair once the capillary tube has been cut off. You can sometimes repair these yourself by following the steps outlined here:
http://www.ply33.com/Repair/tempgauge

The method does work, but you have a complicated situation because of how/where the capillary tube was cut off so close to the back of the gauge. In this case my advice is to shrug off the AutoMeter gauge and buy something new to replace it. The repair will be complicated relative to the value of the gauge.

[xGAME-OVERx]

ah... will scrap it then!
thanks!
scott

[dklawson]

It's a shame really. That AutoMeter gauge probably cost around $60 new and professional repairs cost almost twice that.

I've repaired two Smiths gauges using the method shown in the link I posted. For a DIY repair it's very effective as long as the movement isn't damaged. Much less expensive than professional work.