Installing Oil and Transmission Temperature Gages
by
Tom Heald
For a long time I have wanted to add and Oil and Transmission Temperature
gages to my Aero Cruiser. After over heating and getting towed into a shop I
decided it was time. Eventually I replaced the radiator, water pump and two
smog pumps. The gages would not have stopped the meltdown but they will help
to anticipate and avoiding future problems.
Starting at the dash I decided to locate them on ether side of the steering
column. The instrument panel dimmer switch was located to the left of the
steering column so using the existing wiring I moved it up and to the left of the oil pressure gage as
seen in the picture below.
To prevent chipping, I used masking tape to cover the instrument panel where I was going to
make the holes for the new gages. Using a square and ruler I mark the center
of each new gage. Drilled a pilot hole and then used a 2 1/16 inch hole saw attached to my drill to cut the two holes.
A wiring harness was constructed to connect the new gages to convenient points
on the existing instruments for ground, lights and 12 volts power. Then I ran
16 feet of stranded household electrical wire using the tracer strand
(the side with the writing on it) to hook up to the Transmission Temperature
Gage and the plain strand to connect to the Oil Temperature Gage. I ran the
wire down by the Speedometer cable into a 1/4 inch black split sheath to
protect the wire from wear and heat.
The wire inside the sheath was routed back on the outside of the frame (away from the
engine and exhaust) up to the front axle where I pealed of the Oil Temperature
sender wire which was routed along the rear of the axle frame to the passenger side of the
engine block through a protective metal sheath. The other wire I ran back to
the transmission in the 1/4 inch black split sheath; being careful to keep all
of the wiring well away from the exhaust system and any other heat source.
Then used cable ties to secure everything.
The next step was to install the temperature sensors. First I need to weld
a bung adapter in the Engine Oil and the Transmission Oil Pans. By far the
biggest part of this step was the "Engine Oil
Pan Gasket Removal and Installation". Just follow the link to a
separate article.
Deep end of the Oil Pan with a Temperature Sensor
installed on its passenger side.
Removing the Transmission Oil pan was easy by comparison. Just do a normal
transmission service by changing the fluid and filter. Most shops that service
transmissions will install the sensor for you in conjunction with servicing
the transmission for a nominal fee. It’s not much of a job if the wire and
gage are already installed.
Note: If you do it yourself the Transmission Dip
Stick tells you what fluid to use and how to check the fluid level in general,
or you
can go here for a little more detail!
The wire and sheath for the Temperature Sensor was
routed past the transmission and then back to avoid the exhaust pipes and minimize
heat. This also provides slack for removing the pan.
Parts:
The existing Dashboard gages in the Aero Cruiser use the "Custom
Instrument Panels" (CIP) XL line that feature yellow, white and orange
graphics on a black background. There web site is --
http://www.custominstrumentpanels.com/automoti.htm
I chose different gages because I liked the larger graphics better. The
ones I used were a little less expensive but that wasn't a factor. If you want to remain the same, you will need:
| 1 |
XLC57073 2" Transmission Temperature Gage |
$38.46 |
| 1 |
XLC57074 2" Oil Temperature Gage |
$38.46 |
| 2 |
SND52320-014 Temperature sender
100-320F
1/8 NPT |
$28.79
each |
| 2 |
Auto Meter 2260 Weld-In Adapter for 1/8" NPT Or
any other Universal
bung type 1/8" NPT adaptor. |
$12.12
each |
I used the
following parts from Amazon.com. Prices are from 2012.
| 1 |
Auto Meter 2639 Z-Series 2-1/16" Short Sweep Electric
Oil Temperature Gauge with Temperature Sender. |
$55.49 |
| 1 |
Auto Meter 2640 Z-Series 2-1/16" Short Sweep Electric
Transmission Temperature Gauge with Temp. Sender. |
$55.84 |
| 2 |
Auto Meter 2260 Weld-In Adapter for 1/8" NPT Universal
bung type. |
$12.12
each |
| 1 |
Wix 58707 Automatic Transmission Filter Kit with Gasket. |
$10.10 |
| + |
Transmission fluid, wire and connectors. |
|
Keep on Cruisin', Tom Heald
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