Oil temp sender/guage questions

[mikester]

Hey fellas...

I have to get this in before the Mexico run...

Will these work on my 1.8?

Quoted from the catalogue...

Oil Temperature Sending Unit & Gauge

Getting some bizarre readings from your temperature gauge? Gauge telling you that your 914 is driving on the surface of the sun, or in the sub-zero tundra? Replace your sender and get back on track for reading the all important engine temperature. Or, add a temperature gauge if your 914 was not originally equipped.

Temperature Sending Unit
VDO-323055 $16.50
VDO Temperature Gauge (2 1/16 inch dia)
VDO-310012 $37.90


http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/9144/POR_9144_electr_pg2.htm

Thanks guys, I just want the simple solution...

Plus the pressure too I guess.

[jkeyzer]

Yup, as long as you already have a taco plate.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The hard part is mounting the sender sensibly. If you have an oil temp sender already in the engine, you just replace it with the new one. If not, then you will have to come up with a mounting for it.

--DD

[mikester]

I have the stock sender in there already. The car used to have a center console. I removed it though (no flames please) cause I just didn't care for it. I really like it without... That temp guage bounced all around.

taco plate?

[jkeyzer]

You know, that thing the sender screws into on the bottom of the engine.

[mikester]

Ah...that thing.

=-) I believe it is there.

[mikester]

Where does the pressure gauge mount?

[Zeke]

Originally posted by mikester
Where does the pressure gauge mount?

You will have to get a gauge holder/bracket and hang it under the dash or put your console back in. The stock combo gauge only has an idiot light. If you meant the pressure sender, it is in top of the case next to the distriutor under the sheet metal.

[mikester]

Yeah, I didn't word that well.

The question was meant to be:

"Where does the pressure sending unit mount?"

Which it clearly answers, as did you Zeke in the catalogue. ;-)

Anyway, I ordered the Oil temp sender and gauge and a mounting bracket. WoooHooo!!!!

Guess the oil gets changed early....

I'll do the Pressure guage another time. Do you know if the VDO gauge from Pelican has a back light?

[jkeyzer]

Yeah it does, I think all the VDO cockpit gauges do.

[mikester]

Alrighty, I installed the new sender today - it's a bit shorter than the original, by maybe an inch on the sensor that pokes into the oil. I don't know if that's good or bad.

Anyway, installed - I've only drove it a couple of miles so the temp didn't really get up to 180 even. Though, I don't know where it is *supposed* to get for normal driving.

I did notice that the temp would be lower with some RPM that it was without. So, the more I got on the gas, the lower the temp would go. The only thing I can attribute this to is higher rpm = more oil flow = more cooling. Which I suppose is a good thing, but it seemed a bit drastic. Like at idle I'd get just under 180 but then as soon as I got on the gas it'd go directly down close to 120.

The taco plate...is there a source for the gasket for that thing? I put it back in as is...but that goes against the rules. I like to use gaskets once and only once and it's nearly certain that thing is original...

Lastly, I thought I had the wiring correct. Green wire is the signal from the sender, brown/black positive/neg. Correct? The thing is, I noticed that power is ALWAYS on for those. Which leads me to believe that those might be for the clock that was in the console. Which leaves me with a white/red pair which for some reason doesn't have power at all so I think I need to trace that down...

Let me know what you think guys. Thanks.

[Stuart Lehr]

Don't know if they still make it, but I put two VDO gauges in a holder that fit perfectly in the spot where the ash tray was. Almost looks factory- of course that was 30 years ago- still looks great. Another reason to not let people smoke in your car...another gauge fits perfectly where the lighter socket used to be, but I did have to drill a larger hole in the dash...

[tod914]

I have an instruction sheet for the wiring harness for the 3 gauges - this came with my car purchase -

Harness -
Clock - top = brown
bottom/diagnal = black
light socker = black/blue

Temp: light socket = (double) black/blue
Y-connector

Volt light socket = (double) black/blue
+ connecter = red/white
-- connecter = (double) brown

I have no idea where to connect the wires harness to though - maybe some1 can fill in the blanks. I have a 75 without console.
Like to install 3 gauges in one of the holders and mount in under the dash.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The black wire is "constant" power, meant to hook to the clock. The red/white wire should have two connectors on it; it is "switched" power (only on when the ignition is) and goes to both the voltmeter and the temp gauge.

There should be wires in the main wiring harness that you can hook the gauge harness to. Check around near where the console will go. They are often folded up and tucked into the main wiring bundle. Keep poking; they're there.

--DD

[tod914]

Great - thanks dave, ill take a look.

[mikester]

So what's the operation of this supposed to look like?

When it's running it seems pretty cool, due to the oil flow I Think (oil taking the heat and doing it's job) but when I stop, the temp goes up (oil's stopped) and then it starts to cool of course.

Let me know...

[D7N7MASTER]

Could you post some pictures of the sender installation?

[mikester]

I didn't take pics during the install- there really isn't much to see though. I didn't have to run any wires as I had originally had a center console with a temp guage. I simply removed the taco plate, replaced the old sender with the new one and reinstalled the taco plate. Then I wired up my new VDO gauge in the cockpit and that was that.