Oil Pressure gauge? Where to put sending unit

[my85grandnation]

I have a VDO oil pressure gauge Im wanting to put in my car. I know I can put the sending unit where the sending unit is for the factory idiot light but dont really want to do that because if oil pressure drops that factory sensor shuts off your fuel pump. Is there another place to put it on the block, or can I get a "T" and put both the new sending unit and factory one on hte same opening.

 

[3point8]

Oil pressure gauge installation

I haven't done mine yet but I've been looking at Teeing into the turbo oil line. My thought was to swap out the 90° fitting with a Tee. Mind you mine isn't electronic so if yours is you may have to reconsider?
Peter

 

[Lee Thompson]

fittings

Menards or Lowes stores have these fittings.

Remove the factory sending unit
Install a 1/4 in. NPT close nipple
Screw a 1/4 in. NPT tee on to the nipple
Now you have 2 openings--1 for the factory sender--1 for your pressure gage
IMO the top of turbo is not a good place.

 

[85 t-tizzle]

i put a jumper wire in my op idoit light and uesd a braided line to my mechanial o/p gage

 

[turbobooster]

hey lee do u have any pics u can provide of this setup and its location or maybe of wat its soppose to look like when done ? im better off wit some pics to have a better idea of wats gotta get done thanx

 

[V6VegaTex]

IMO the top of turbo is not a good place.

Lee,

What's your reasoning that it's a bad place? I was going to put my electric sender there. When my car was NA, I had it down by the stock oil pressure switch location, but it got pretty crowded there and I had problems getting the 3-way oil pressure plug to stretch enough to fit correctly. Also, I couldn't get everything as tight as I wanted down there because the sender and pressure switch interfered with one another and I had some leaks at the 'T'. I reasoned that by having the stock oil pressure switch off the block, I would have an idiot light off that sender, and by having the electrig gauge sender at the turbo input I would have a pressure reading at the most critical point in case of an oil pressure drop (I figure the turbo bearings will go before the crank bearings if I get a drop in pressure). Also, I could see any leaks better there. Am I missing something here?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Lee Thompson]

vegatex and turbobooster

Can't do pics--sorry--lucky to get on line with my limited mental capacity.
As for the top of turbo--Just way too much heat there--plastic line or wire could get fried. The perfect place (not in this case as eng. must be out of car) if the back of block. Remove the passengers side galley plug (must be passengers side) install fitting and run a hard (premade brake line) line up through a hole that you will have to drill beside the knock sensor. That put it @ the rear of eng. and a short run to gage. Best of luck.
If you do put it on top of turbo, keep a close eye on it. Also I think that the reading may read low @ that point. If your bushing in turbo start to wear the pressure reading may go South when it realty there is nothing wrong with eng.

 

[V6VegaTex]

Lee,

I see your point about the heat being a problem and frying the sender wire. I agree that picking up the oil pressure somewhere else off the block would be a better solution. Another idea I've had is to tee into the turbo oil feed line somewhere further back from the turbo; maybe before it starts to bend back to the turbo oil fitting near the intake manifold. It would require getting two flare tubes with fitings and bending them to match the stock oil feed line; then tying them together with a three-way fitting. I've also been worried about the pick-up causing a pressure drop at the turbo. Maybe I'll try tee'ing in somewere south of the turbo oil input.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[V6VegaTex]

You mean like this?

 

[Lee Thompson]

yes

Exactly !!! Altho I ran mine up on the other side of the knock sensor.