Hi.

I've recently bought some Autometer oil temperature and pressure gauges, and I'm trying to decide the best place to install the senders. I've been looking here at Scoobynet for threads on the subject, but still have a couple of questions.

Regarding the pressure sender, the general opinion seems to be that it should be installed near the alternator, where the original Subaru oil pressure warning sensor is. But i also seen mentioned here at SN that there's an alternate position not far from the one I mentioned that could be used to install the sender. Is it an alternative, or should i just stick with the "standard" location?
Also, I'll probably have to get a t-piece and some hose due to the size of the Autometer sender. Does anyone have any pics of a similar install?

The oil temperature sender is the one I have more doubts about. My mechanic recommended installing it in the sump plug. He says there's an oil gallery ending near there that comes from the 3rd cilinder (don't know if it's correct, could be bs), so it would be a good place to get the reading.
Here on SN, I see that most people put it in the location just above the 3rd cilinder. Which one is best?
Some people advised me against the sump plug because it could be affected by air flow under the car. Will this be an issue even if I have the plastic protection on? How much would it affect the readings?
Also, if I installed it above the 3rd cilinder, how much higher would the readings be? I assume they would be more consistent than readings taken on the sump plug, am I correct?

Sorry for all these questions, but there's little information on these subjects here in Portugal, and no one I know with an Impreza has these gauges installed.

Cheers,

Paulo

 

Never heard of an alternative to the Oil Pressure location (not on a classic anyway). I just stuck with the original.

The problem with installing the Temp sender in the sump is that it'll be disturbed on every oil change and the readings can be affected by the cooling air flow. I was told that the location on top is the hottest part of the engine so gives a truer indication of the temperature.

I have details and pics from my install (MY99 UK RB5) - http://www.stefanostadal.homedns.org...ods_gauges.htm

I fitted all the gauges in the one go, so it covers routing all the cables, installing the sensors themselves and then wiring it all up.

Stefan

 

Hi Stefan.

Your site is well known . Really good, and a precious help in more then one occasion. I've pratically printed every single scooby-related page and photo from your website

Regarding the temperature sensor, what I would like to know is how much higher are the temperatures taken on top of the 3rd cilinder, and how much can the airflow affect the readings taken from the sump plug (with the plastic undercover in place).


Cheers,

Paulo

 

Ok i put my pressure one on the top of the block at the rear under the inlet there is a blank there with a size 10 alan key hole in it the reason for doin this is that sccobs are prone for oil pressure drop on number 3 so the nearer it is the more chance i have of seeing a problem i hope

Oil temp i put where the oe oil pressure switch is

Re putting it in the sump i dont think you would get a true reading as the oil in the sump is cooling plus you have another place where you could have another oil leak

 

Hi Paulo,

Sorry I've no idea what difference in temps you would see. My view is that I want to see the highest temperature and you seem to get those readings from the top of the engine.

There's plenty of readings from the #3 cylinder position, so I guess you'd need to try a search to see if anyone has posted readings with the sender fitted in the sump and compare them.

Stefan

 

What kind of oil pressure readings are you seeing, and would you expect the readings at this point (at cylinder 3) to be lower than the pressure at the OE point under the alternator?

I ask because my pressure sender is under the alternator on the end of a braided hose (made up by lemans motorsport) and my oil pressure readings are quite high (off the scale when cold, 7+ bar).

 

mine read 8.0kgf/cm2 + when cold at idle
and no more than 2.5kgf/cm2 when hot at idle
and about 6.0kgf/cm2 when under boost and warm these are using defi gauges with the sensor mounted at the back of the block as said in my first post

The car is a MY98 uk turbo wagon with 78656 miles on its original engine

 

If you've not clicked ozzy's link above, please do. It's a very informative site that I've somehow not seen before. It's very well put together indeed. Now in my favourites list. Cheers, ozzy

 

gallery above no 3, tends to read about 10 degrees celcius higher than in the sump plug.

 

I just digged this older thread out of the archives, 'cause I am going to install the sensors on the weekend and have another question.

All the discussion about where to mount the oil temp sender seems to be comprehensible. But what about the oil pressure sender? Is it possible to mount it with the sensor attachment like shown in the pic instead of near the alternator? Are there any disadvantages?


Many thanks in advance for any opinions and suggestions.

Cheers,
Matt