10 replies to this topic

[Joef]

I have decided that I'd like to have a voltmeter in my mini and I'd also like to check the temperature but im not sure whether I would be better off with a water temp gauge or a oil temp gauge. Or even both? And can someone give me a rough idea of how they are installed please as I'm not sure if i'll be able to do it myself.

I was also looking at a vacuum gauge and wondered the same.

Thanks in advance.
Joe.

[Anthony]

Oil pressure is always useful. Simple to fit too.

[james753]

I have decided that I'd like to have a voltmeter in my mini and I'd also like to check the temperature but im not sure whether I would be better off with a water temp gauge or a oil temp gauge. Or even both? And can someone give me a rough idea of how they are installed please as I'm not sure if i'll be able to do it myself.

I was also looking at a vacuum gauge and wondered the same.

Thanks in advance.
Joe.

water temp gauge - fits in the hole under the thermostat housing either a electronic sensor or a capiliary action one (i think) both very easy to put in,
oil temp - im not sure but oil pressure fits in where the oil pressure sensor is behind the dizzy (small black thing with a wire poking out)
vacuum gauge - connects with a bit of plastic pipe to a vacuum take off on the manifold side of the carb throttle body - again easy to self fit.
ive done all mentioned apart from oil temp so if you want a hand with anything pm me. also got a basically new tims voltmeter with black face and ring if you want it? no scratches, how does £10 posted sound?
hope that helps
James

[dklawson]

To each his own but I consider the oil temp useless information.

If you're selecting a bunch of new gauges, I would consider vacuum, oil pressure, water temperature, & an analog clock.

For electric gauges, always buy the sending unit that matches the gauge. Don't assume that what's on your car matches your new gauges... even if you buy Smiths.

[liirge]

Is the Vacuum Guage really that usefull?? i mean honestly!

[Waffs1984]

I fitted a capiliary TIM water temp gauge this weekend just gone and i'm very happy with it! My temp sender / original gauge was LYING to me! lol! Also got a volt gauge but havnt got round to fitting it yet. Plan to get oil pressure and vacuum to finish off my dash. I suppose the vacuum gauge will show up any leaks in your induction, e.g. carb gaskets, manifold gasket etc but more to the point it look cool when your driving as it whips the needle around as you give more gas or let off! Probably more a gimmick than useful but fun all the same!

Matt.

[T.Harper]

Yeh, water temp, oil pressure and a tachometer are all useful bits of kit. Vacuum gauge helps you see how your style of driving affects mpg - quite relevant in this day and age!

[dklawson]

Is the Vacuum Guage really that usefull?? i mean honestly!

There are three reasons you may want to fit a vacuum gauge.
1) flair & fluff. (The needle moves while you drive which is much more entertaining than an oil temperature gauge).
2) tuning and diagnostics. It does provide useful information once you've used one for a while.
3) modified driving technique. (Exactly as Tom said and the very reason I have one on my Mini and my Honda).

The higher you can keep your engine vacuum while driving (excluding decelerating in gear) the higher your fuel economy will be. Placing a vacuum gauge where you can see it out of the corner of your eye is a very real way or teaching yourself (or re-learning) how to drive to get the most out of a gallon of gas.

[pantera2075]

Consider an ammeter too. They're a bit more tricky to wire in originally, but give more info on what your electrical system is doing than a voltmeter.

[dklawson]

Let me weigh in with my usual caveat about ammeters. Remember if you choose to fit an ammeter that you should select one rated higher than the output of your alternator. (i.e. If you have a 55 Amp alternator, get an ammeter calibrated for +/- 60 Amps). Think about this in terms of the wiring requirements. You're passing all the charging current through the ammeter wiring and this wiring needs to pass through the firewall to the back of the dashboard. If you fit an ammeter choose heavy gauge wiring, make sure it's routed safely away from anything that could chafe the insulation, and make sure proper grommets support he wires where they pass through the bulkhead. For most situations a volt meter will tell you whether or not your charging system is working and its wiring is easier and safer. To each his own though.

[Joef]

Thats a lot of help, thanks all.