Oil Temp Gauge Not Reading
#1
Oil Temp Gauge Not Reading
I've had problems with my oil temperature gauge from the day I bought it and thought I'd ask here as I'm lost now. I'll try to explain as best as I can.
Initially I fitted the sender above cylinder 3 as suggested everywhere using the fitting kit from Scooby Parts. Once it was all hooked up I wasn't getting a reading on my gauge, no matter how long I drove the car. I figured it was a duff sender, so I fitted a new one. Still no reading. I tried a third sender, this time a 2 wire one and still no reading.
Guessing that it wasn't a sender problem I tried a new gauge. Still no reading. I borrow a third gauge, just in case. Still nothing.
I then tried one of the single wire senders in a sandwich plate. Presto, a reading!! Only problem was that the gauge was reaching temperatures of 130 degrees!! This is obviously ridiculous, but left it there until my next oil change as I figured any kind of reading was better than no reading at all.
Come oil change time I whipped the single wire sender out of the sandwich plate and fitted a 2 wire sender. When the engine was started it leaked quite a bit, so I tightened it a little but went a bit too far and snapped the sender! Oops!!
I obviously removed the sandwich plate and have binned it as I chewed the thread up with the new sender.
I've now tried the sender above cyliner 3 again (as it's still there!) and this time the gauge went up to max temp straight away! After about 15 minutes the needle moved, very quickly, back to 0 degrees and didn't move from there.
Here's the sender above cylinder 3:
Does anyone have any idea at all as to why it refuses to work above cylinder 3?
I'm thinking of getting a sump plug adaptor if I can't get it working from cylinder 3, is this a good idea or not?
Initially I fitted the sender above cylinder 3 as suggested everywhere using the fitting kit from Scooby Parts. Once it was all hooked up I wasn't getting a reading on my gauge, no matter how long I drove the car. I figured it was a duff sender, so I fitted a new one. Still no reading. I tried a third sender, this time a 2 wire one and still no reading.
Guessing that it wasn't a sender problem I tried a new gauge. Still no reading. I borrow a third gauge, just in case. Still nothing.
I then tried one of the single wire senders in a sandwich plate. Presto, a reading!! Only problem was that the gauge was reaching temperatures of 130 degrees!! This is obviously ridiculous, but left it there until my next oil change as I figured any kind of reading was better than no reading at all.
Come oil change time I whipped the single wire sender out of the sandwich plate and fitted a 2 wire sender. When the engine was started it leaked quite a bit, so I tightened it a little but went a bit too far and snapped the sender! Oops!!
I obviously removed the sandwich plate and have binned it as I chewed the thread up with the new sender.
I've now tried the sender above cyliner 3 again (as it's still there!) and this time the gauge went up to max temp straight away! After about 15 minutes the needle moved, very quickly, back to 0 degrees and didn't move from there.
Here's the sender above cylinder 3:
Does anyone have any idea at all as to why it refuses to work above cylinder 3?
I'm thinking of getting a sump plug adaptor if I can't get it working from cylinder 3, is this a good idea or not?
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#8
Unless you get one with the same scaling etc it wont work, as you found out with it reading 130degrees, or not at all....
The one reading 130degress you could put a resistor in to match if you knew the scale of the gauge and the sensors.
Just to add - you can find out by getting a pan of engine oil and a camp stave and a calibrated thermometer gently heat the oil with the sensor in while reading the resistance readings at certain temperatures.
Once you know this, plug it into the gauge, and see what the gauge reads while checking the temperature, you can then correlate the two and work out what resistor you need
The one reading 130degress you could put a resistor in to match if you knew the scale of the gauge and the sensors.
Just to add - you can find out by getting a pan of engine oil and a camp stave and a calibrated thermometer gently heat the oil with the sensor in while reading the resistance readings at certain temperatures.
Once you know this, plug it into the gauge, and see what the gauge reads while checking the temperature, you can then correlate the two and work out what resistor you need
Last edited by JGlanzaV; 22 February 2016 at 09:39 PM.
#12
#14
Anyway, I've ordered a new sender and will fit it when it turns up. I've not tried the Prospothegauge with a Prosport sender yet, so hopefully this will be the end of my oil temp gauge woes!
#15
Greddy and defi sensors are exactly the same, the only difference is the final plug into the control unit for example....
#17
#21
Supporting Member
iTrader: (28)
They're alright typically although I'll give the boost gauge a few months before the sender packs up - they are total ****, never had one last more than 7 months; the official resellers for Prosport now sell "water resistant" sensors - apparently the standard ones aren't designed to resist conditions in the engine bay I'm told.
Fit for purpose then...
Fit for purpose then...
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