28 replies to this topic

[carts60]

Yeah, but as everyone keeps on telling me Oil temp is only really necessary if you've got a high or race spec engine which is really pushing the limits. Other than that, a standard road engine with average to mildly spirited driving shouldnt be heating the oil to a temperature where it could be doing damage - unless somethings seriously wrong.

[carts60]

Ok, good news just got an email from the company who agreed to exchange my oil temp for water temp. Also got my vinyl so il put that on this afternoon and take a picture of it all revamped and lookin lovely

[JoneseyBoy]

any fitted piccys yet been waiting ages lool

[carts60]

Haha. I literally only got the water temperture gauge today - and iv been painting my bedroom all day today so at about 6 my arms were aching so much from painting the ceiling that i thought id give the gauges a go. Fitting them was a nightmare, as the fixings provided were too long because of the thickness of the dash so i had to cut them down to fit which took an age.

So as of this evening, iv currently got the Voltmeter wired and fitted and working perfectly, the Oil Pressure gauge wired to earth and ignition with sensor fitted but not wired yet and the water temp gauge earthed and ignition'd BUT another problems cropped up - the temp sensor doesnt fit the same thread size as the current temp. sensor we all have on our clocks so il have to go and find a motor factors tomorrow to try and find a substitute.

Would splicing in the new water temp gauge to the current wiring (whilst keeping the old sensor in the block) work or is that just bodging it massively??

The diagram says to cut the radiator hose and fit a T-Piece re-connecting the two parts of hose and screwing in the new sensor in between, but that means an even longer wait for this new T-piece which for all that i know might not fit because of the length of the sensor past the thread.

[leaky]

The best gauge you can get for your mini is a vacuum gauge because it moves loads lol.

[carts60]

Now why didnt anyone tell me that earlier. I'l have to get one later.

Rest assured Jonesy there will be follow up pictures and a video when its all completed.

Iv also found that since iv been fiddling that the orange warning light under the standard water temp gauge stays on after the engine ignition rather than turning off like it should do. The red one under petrol turns off like normal. Iv no idea why either - ideas??

[JoneseyBoy]

ok mate well ill keep poping back cant wait to see them tho i just love the look of gauges

[carts60]

Well today was frustrating to say the least.

I went to about 3 local autofacotrs and not a single one could give me an alternative temperature sensor, nor give me an adaptor for fitting to the radiator hose. Absolutely useless, so i went to the local mini specialist garrage who couldnt really help me either and said they just hire in an Auto Electrician for all of the things they fit like this - i couldnt believe my ears!!

They just suggested trying to use the current sensor with the new wiring and see what happens - to be fair thats what i was going to do anyway but i expected something a little more informed.

So i tried using the old sensor and it worked fine. I tried to bodge the fitting, using the current wiring whilst splicing in the new wires to make the circuit, but it made the gauge go nuts - it was flapping everythwere ad just going up and down like mad. i couldnt work out why it was happening so i spent an age re-wiring everything from the dash through into the ending bay. Tidy. Hooked it all up and at last it worked fine.

So now it was just down to soldering the oil pressure gauge wire in BUT once i did this, the oil pressure read 80 Psi and when i slightly revved the engine it went off the scale past 100 Psi. Clearly somethings up but i had no idea what. So i cut the wire and just to check i wasnt going mad wired it straight back together and it read about 55-60 Psi which is around about the correct pressure, so i put all the dash back together and turned everything on and realised id not connected the original clocks. I was really having an absolute nightmare.

So after i took all the dash off again and put the wires back on, i re-checked all the clocks but oil pressure had gone back up to 80 Psi odd. I really have no idea why its reading so high so im going to try and find a local auto electrician to finish it off for me tomorrow - unless theres anyone on the forum who fancies helping??

[carts60]

So it would appear auto electricians arent the people to call when you need something done thats both on your car and electrical - "not our area of expertise" was what one told me!!!

So i just slogged away for a few more hours trying to work out what was causing the pressure to read wrong and the solution was to not use the original oil pressure warning cable and run its own wire into the engine bay. For some reason the original wire just caused the gauge to go nuts - similarly on the water temp.

So now they all work at last....

And heres the pictures

Last night after id finished everything. The engine was off (which is why voltage is low and oil pressure isnt reading)


This afternoon:






Sorry the videos so poor, basically when they turn on the needle goes all the way around to the highest reading, before dropping to zero and then raising to the correct reading.



So what do you all think??

[JoneseyBoy]

i like they look mint i really want some but not to keen on the yellow square in the middle lol i do like the way the needle goes round on start up to well done mate they look mint

[leaky]

They look pretty good. I think you should get a set of these to go in your clocks.

Would finish it off really well.

[carts60]

Yeah, iv seen them before but i dont like their whiteness when they're not lit up. I debated getting them, but decided on just replacing the 501 bulbs which light up the clocks with LED's. They're a lot brighter at night now and instead of being lit up by quite a yellowy/orange light form the standard bulbs the back light is now brilliant white and comes up a treat.

[carts60]

*double post*

Edited by carts60, 19 July 2010 - 11:13 AM.

[carts60]

i like they look mint i really want some but not to keen on the yellow square in the middle lol i do like the way the needle goes round on start up to well done mate they look mint

Yeah, i tried looking for gauges without a logo in the middle but couldnt find any. Not really surprising though! What company would manufacture popular gauges and not promote themselves by using their logo somewhere.

I chose these gauges because the logo is Motor Meter Gauges, and actually sounds decent. There are cheap alternative gaguges but they're something like 'Type R Gauges' and they just sound tacky. Why would you put those gauges in anything other than a Civic Type R??

The only other alternative are the proper AutoGauge gauges which are a bit more subtle i think, but they cost £40 each (x3) where as on my student budget i spent £70 on all 3 with senders.