electrical vs. mechanical gauges

[daturbosix]

what is everyone using? i want to run a water temp, oil pressure, boost, and a tach. what kind should i get and are there any schematics to hook them up?

 

[daturbosix]

maybe i wasnt too clear!?!?! i want to put all 3 of my gauges in a triple gauge pod on the a-pillar. and with the water and oil pressure, is there room for the mechanical gauge? some people say no, some people say yes. WHAT IS THE REAL ANSWER? and with the tach, i want to bolt that to the side of my dash pad. but, how do i hook the damn thing up!?!?! and with the oil pressure..how do hook that up? do i need a sending unit? and if i do where the hell do i put it? im new to this turbo buick customization stuff....so PLEASE i beg of you, help me out! im cnfused

 

[disco stu]

First of all, stay away from the mech. guages. No need to plumb oil and coolant into your car. Elec guages are accurate, much easier to run wires, safer. As for the tach, make a S shape brachet that sneaks behing the dash and attaches by a bolt behind the cluster dash pod thing. Super easy and you won't destroy your dash. Hookup is easy but I dont remeber which wire to cut for 6 cyl. Hook source wire to green connector behind alt. using a female spade, you will not have to have this hooked up to the single white wire it was hooked up to. Can't remeber what this connection is for but someone will. When You order elec guages they should come w/ the proper sending unit. I have my oil pressure sender on a 1/4" NPT tee where my factory sender is. Don't know bout coolant sender as I use my scanmaster for that, but I imagine the 1/8" NPT block drain would be an easy way. And they make pods that fit in the change tray. I have my oil press and tranny temp guages there. The only guages I have on the A pillar are boost and EGT, these require field of vision monitering for tuning purposes. No need for O.P. water temp etc here. But that is just my preference. Hope this helps some.

 

[salvageV6]

A mechanical water temp. gauge or oil temp. gauge does not put oil or water into your car. It uses a capillary tube.

Oil pressure gauge does through a very small dia. 1/8" tube.

Let's keep the information accurate.

Also mechanical gauges are more accurate and reliable.

I doubt they will fit in the A pillar however.

 

[SuperSix]

I'm getting ready to replace my inaccurate VDO electrical guages, and will be going with mechanicals, I feel better not relying on senders and what not to muck up the readings.

 

[daturbosix]

i really need gauges soon, and ive been looking at jegs and summit at the autometer phantom and ultra-lite series (i like those the most) but i dont know what ones to order!!!!!!!!
i called jegs' tech line, and they said it was a matter of preference. so i dont know what i want thats what im asking you turbo guys what to order. im hoping one of you are running a simular gauge set up like what i want (3 gauges on the a-pillar, and a tach on the side of the dash) so i can do this and not have to do it 5 times.


thats for the responces so far!

- jeff

 

[86gn]

I would say most people run elec gagues,they have to come with sending units.I have 2 on the a pillar a boost and oil press.

 

[turbofrank]

Mech- water temp
Elect - volt,oil,trans temp

 

[disco stu]

Originally posted by salvageV6
A mechanical water temp. gauge or oil temp. gauge does not put oil or water into your car. It uses a capillary tube.

Oil pressure gauge does through a very small dia. 1/8" tube.

Let's keep the information accurate.

Also mechanical gauges are more accurate and reliable.

I doubt they will fit in the A pillar however.

So are they isolated?
I know when the neighbor from across the street came over and told me to go look at his Mustang after his capillary tube cracked on his oil press guage, he had oil all over his floor board, under the dash and dripping down the A pillar. He said hot a$$ oil on your leg is quite a suprise when you are getting on the highway.
I did not realize I was dispensing inaccurate info.
And I compared my elec. oil press guage with my set of MAC oil press guages, and found a 3 PSI relief pressure difference. At idle it was too close to be discernable.

 

[zam70]

I'd say go electrical.
HELL of alot easier to route wires, no danger of leaks, faster reacting and as far as accuracy, they are close enough...

 

[tom h]

Originally posted by disco stu
... Mustang after his capillary tube cracked on his oil press guage, he had oil all over his floor board, under the dash and dripping down the A pillar.

Personally I would ONLY use either stainless over-braided teflon flex line, or steel tubing to connect a mech oil gauge. Obviosuly -3AN flex line is a lot easier to route thru the firewall & under the instrument panel.

It scares me when I see people using plastic tubing , or even copper tubing. Copper can crack under vibration.

 

[salvageV6]

Here is how they really work.

Maybe your neighbor had an oil pressure guage with the 1/8" plastic tube that leaked? I dunno...

Capillary tube operation for Autometer gauges:

"Now, we can briefly discuss also how the gauge itself works. What we do is run a hollow copper tube from the end of the line (commonly referred to as the sender "bulb") all the way into the gauge, then cover it with a protective plastic/rubber-like covering. This line is filled with ether gas, so if you have ever broken or cut one and get a funny smell or some white fluid on you, don't worry, it is not harmful. When the sender is in the intake, head, trans or oil pan (or whatever you are monitoring) the temperature heats the ether gas inside the tubing. This makes the gas expand and thus "push" the meter that is inside the gauge. This moves the pointer and shows you the temperature. However, if this hollow copper tube is kinked or doubled-over itself, the line will be shut and the gauge. This moves the pointer and shows you the temperature. However, if this hollow copper tube is kinked or doubled-over itself, the line will be shut and the pressure would not reach the gauge, so you would never see the gauge reflect any temp readings at all. This is also true if the line is ever cut or the sender bulb is removed; once the ether gas escapes the line, there is nothing to "push" against the meter to register any temperature readings at all."

My neighbor had a set of electrical gauges, he mistakenly hit the sender wire to his +12 volt source on his temp. sender and cooked his sender.

Use what makes you comfortable with your level of expertise in the install and operation.

 

[daturbosix]

alright, ive gathered that electric is the way to go. that little mustang store did the trick for me and i want what is easier. good thing it happend to a ford and not a buick!

now...do the electric autometer gauges come with the sending units that i need? and where do i put the oil sending unit?


you guys are great!

thanks, jeff

 

[salvageV6]

Yes they do come with the sending units.

Most put them in the block on the motor the turbo oil feed line and idiot light are connected to.

 

[disco stu]

Stuff I did not know. Yes, it was his tube that split, not an actual guage failure but the connection itself. Personally I don't feel comfortable with fluid lines in the car for this reason. So only oil and fuel press guages carry fluid all the way to the guage I guess.

BTW daturbosix, I think you cannot go wrong with ultralites. I like my sportcomps too though. I dont think they make a 3 inch ultralite tach though, so i will stick with my sportcomps. I've had VDO's and they suck IMO except for their boost guage which is great.

 

[salvageV6]

My incar fuel pressure gauge, an autometer, uses an isolating device that allows only a water and anti-freeze mix to be in the line that goes to the gauge. Isolator sits outside near the fuel rail.

Obviously you never run fuel inside the car.

I keep a cap in the console in case the oil pressure little plastic line should ever break. Can't see it happening but it ain't near my foot which is good.

I could plug the feed line at the turbo in about a minute if my gray rug starts to look black.

 

[Crazi]

I have electric gauges in my car and like I have seen on this board before, electrics are sometimes off by a few units be it psi or degrees. Once you install the gauges, check them frequently until you develop a baseline. Then whether your sender reads 5 degrees hotter then someone else's or 10 degrees colder, you know that if it used to read 180deg and it is now reading 210deg that you are running hotter then usual.

Same thing with oil pressure.

 

[marc86mcss]

So mech. boost and mech. oil press. guages will NOT fit in the A-pillar? CRAP

 

[Louie L.]

Originally posted by marc86mcss
So mech. boost and mech. oil press. guages will NOT fit in the A-pillar? CRAP

Yes they will. I run Phantom mech. oil and Boost gauges in my A pillar pod . Been there for a long time.

 

[salvageV6]

How did you route the capillary tube on that water temp. mechanical gauge?

If you bent it at a right angle no wonder it's off by 40 degrees.

Any gauge that uses a plastic or copper tube such as a boost gauge or oil pressure gauge should fit in the A pillar.

You may need a right angle fitting to clear the depth but it should fit.

I don't think a capillary tube autometer type gauge will fit in the A pillar.