Has anyone tried using a Water Temp guage for Oil Temperature ???

[SwaveDave]

SInce my clock bit the dust, i was thinking id rather have an oil temp. guage than a clock . Can u see any reason why a Water Temp Guage wouldnt work ? If i could erase the word 'water' , and put in "oil" .... then id be all set.
Thoughts ???

Thanks , Dave

 

[cruisin-davey-g]

SInce my clock bit the dust, i was thinking id rather have an oil temp. guage than a clock . Can u see any reason why a Water Temp Guage wouldnt work ? If i could erase the word 'water' , and put in "oil" .... then id be all set.
Thoughts ???

Thanks , Dave

Dave: I really can't see why it couldn't be used for that, as long as it's a mechanical guage (the one with the probe & hard pipe). On my Vette, I just used a couple of mechanical guages (mine are sun) & mounted 'em in a two guage panel on the dash near the counsel. I use one for the oil temp & one for the trans temp. I put the trans temp guage nearest the counsel (trans hump), so I can tell 'em apart, 'cause they're identicial looking guages. Works for me.

Dave:

 

[SwaveDave]

Just out of curiosity...what is your oil temp and trans fluid temp running at ???


Dave

 

[cruisin-davey-g]

Just out of curiosity...what is your oil temp and trans fluid temp running at ???


Dave

"SwaveDave": My oil temp usually runs around 230-240, but on really hot days can get up to 280. Trans Temp. use to run around 190-210 (ouch) until I installed a cooler in front of my A/C condenser. Now it usually runs around 120-130 (cooler days at 100) & never goes above 150. I ran some reliable aftermarket guages. I really don't trust "factories". Even though they're mechanical, I've found that there is as much as a 10% +/- error in them & I can imagine the electronic guages may be worse. They're just "idiot" lights in the form of guages.

Dave:

 

[Vette/Berlina-coupe]

-Go 3-in-1, -Water, Eng.oil, Trans.oil.!!!

Have a 3-position slide-switch (toggle-switch will do as well, -the common ground is not switched) and simply bought two more sensors identical to the OEM one employed on the eng.block that routes to the watertemp.-gauge, --so with the second and third necessarily identical Temp.sensors screwed into the suitably adapted drain-plugs in the Engine and Transmission, --I can instantly check the temperature of each one at a time naturally (click, -click, -click)!!! If your eng./Oil-temp. is running 250f or more, you really need to be running Mobile-1 eng.oil (which is good up past 400f, --but ordinary fossil-oil starts to burn at 250f; --but with the cooler on your Trans., you've definitely got that well under control; --as the seals will soon give-up when Trans.-temp hits 250f). So anyway you see, with my suggested innovative method you just have two more wires going to your water-temp.gauge (or if preferred, three wires to the switch, and just one switched-wire going to the OEM temp.gauge, -make yourself a simple circuit-diagram sketch so you can clearly see how my idea works); --its really slick; --why the factory-guys never had the moxie to provide this dirt-cheap 3-in-1 system (maybe they will once they read this, ---probably someone will get a promotion for presenting it)...
~Bob VonHeck
:confused :eek :TALK :dance
Memo: -as Davey relates below, my above will not work in the case of the older mechanical/pressure-tube type gauges; -what you are desiring however is absolutely doable with some very clever adapting; and yes, you certainly can install an oil-temp gauge in place of the clock, and then just switch between the identical type sensors used for the eng.oil-temp and the trans.oil-temp, --but I like the clock there (you can install a quartz-type update) and just switching between three sensor locations for display on the existing water-temp.gauge only...

 

[cruisin-davey-g]

Re: -Go 3-in-1, -Water, Eng.oil, Trans.oil.!!!

Have a 3-position slide-switch (toggle-switch will do as well, -the common ground is not switched) and simply bought two more sensors identical to the OEM one employed on the eng.block that routes to the watertemp.-gauge, --so with the second and third necessarily identical Temp.sensors screwed into the suitably adapted drain-plugs in the Engine and Transmission, --I can instantly check the temperature of each one at a time naturally (click, -click, -click)!!! If your eng./Oil-temp. is running 250f or more, you really need to be running Mobile-1 eng.oil (which is good up past 400f, --but ordinary fossil-oil starts to burn at 250f; --but with the cooler on your Trans., you've definitely got that well under control; --as the seals will soon give-up when Trans.-temp hits 250f). So anyway you see, with my suggested innovative method you just have two more wires going to your water-temp.gauge (or if preferred, three wires to the switch, and just one switched-wire going to the OEM temp.gauge, -make yourself a simple circuit-diagram sketch so you can clearly see how my idea works); --its really slick; --never understood why the factory-guys never had the brains to provide this dirt-cheap 3-in-1 system (maybe they will once they read this, ---probably someone will get a promotion for presenting it)...
~Bob VonHeck
:confused :eek :TALK :dance

Hi Bob: Thanx for your input on the subject of temp guages. Your system is "slick" & will work on electric (electronic) guages, but we're talking Mechanical Guages here, which is what's factory in early C-3's. There are no wires, as per say, just a tube connected to a probe (except for the wire for illumination). When it comes to guages, I stick to mechanical, because, I feel that they're more accurate & realible (just as a mechanical tach compared to electronic). As for my oil temp, it normally runs at 220-230 (which is, according to the GM manual for my engine, is the normal range for engine oil (actually it says 230-250) Thanx again!

Dave:

 

[81 Corvette]

Why not just get an oil gauge?

 

[SwaveDave]

81,

They dont make an oil temp. guage for an early C3 that matches with the other instruments. I want to replace the defective clock i have , with a guage that reads oil temp....the only way of doing that is to use a factory water temp guage.

Crusing D,

My 1970 water temp guage is electric. Not mechanical.


Dave

 

[81 Corvette]

I see said the blind man.

 

[JohnZ]

Re: Re: -Go 3-in-1, -Water, Eng.oil, Trans.oil.!!!

Hi Bob: Thanx for your input on the subject of temp guages. Your system is "slick" & will work on electric (electronic) guages, but we're talking Mechanical Guages here, which is what's factory in early C-3's. There are no wires, as per say, just a tube connected to a probe (except for the wire for illumination).

C3 temp gauges are all electric; no Corvette mechanical temp gauges since 1955. The only mechanical gauge in C3's is the oil pressure gauge, and it went electric in later C3's.

 

[MaineShark]

I like this idea. Is there any problem with the pressure, since the oil system develops significantly more than the water system? My clock is broken, but I don't need it, anyway (my radio has a clock in the display). An oil temp gauge in there would be nice.

Actually, will the water temp gauge fit in the clock bezel? There is already a hole there (currently used by the adjustment knob) that could accomodate a switch. And then I can stick my tranny temp gauge in the hole where the water temp gauge used to be...

Joe

 

[cruisin-davey-g]

Re: Re: Re: -Go 3-in-1, -Water, Eng.oil, Trans.oil.!!!

C3 temp gauges are all electric; no Corvette mechanical temp gauges since 1955. The only mechanical gauge in C3's is the oil pressure gauge, and it went electric in later C3's.

"John Z": OK.....I musta been thinking of something else (I haven't been the same since I was blinded by a bright yellow C5 that was out at the GM Tech Center Show this past weekend, hope to be better soon). Anyway, you're right, I was thinking of the oil pressure guage. My water temp guage is elect. (the sending units are in the heads). And now I'm thinking (here we go again) that the water temp guage may not work out as a oil temp guage, unless a sending unit can be found for this purpose. I've always used mechanical oil temp guages. This is what's in mine now for the oil temp & trans temp. Thanx, John, for bringing this to my attention.

Dave: :bar (I'm going out for a drink!)

 

[JohnZ]

I used small AutoMeter electric oil and diff temp gauges in my Grand Sport (in the center panel - pic below); just drilled and tapped holes in the side-mounted oil drain plug and in the diff fill plug for the small 1/8" NPT AutoMeter sending units - worked great.

 

[SwaveDave]

John,

The instrumentation looks first class in your pic. Do u think i could get accurate oil temp sensing, by simply teeing off of the oil pressure fitting in the block ??

Dave

 

[MaineShark]

Does anyone happen to know the thread size of the water temp sender?

Joe

 

[JohnZ]

No, you won't get an accurate reading from the pressure tap on the block, because there's no oil flow there - it's just a static line sensing pressure - no oil is moving through it. You'll have to either have bung welded in the side of the pan (below oil level) or use a sender in the drain plug; what you want to know is the temperature of the oil in the sump.

The engine temp sender is usually 1/2" NPT.

 

[MaineShark]

Thanks.

That should make it easy - the rest of the fittings on the oil cooler/remote filter that I'm installing are all 1/2" NPT, so I won't have to look for a reducing T to mount the sender in the line. I figure right at the "out" connection should get me a very accurate reading, since it's right after the pump.

Joe