water temp sender

lowlight 185 · Padawan Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 52

hi all just brought some gauges for peice of mind there 2inch electrical .oil pressure ,water temp, voltmetre .i was going to start fitting them and i thought ide check water temp sender in boiling water and it doesnt work do you know if i can use the subaru sender in the coolant manifold with the gauge allso what sort of readings should i get on them all
thanks Simon
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ElusiveStranger · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 3:39 pm Post subject:

Scooby sender is compatible with Scooby gauge.
I'm using VDO sender & gauge. Let's just say they're not the best on the planet! Very slow reaction time. I'm on my second gauge & it's about 10°C out. At least I know it's out.

If you're using a VDO gauge & Scooby sender you'll have to add a resistor. Others can help you out with what the value of this is.
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doppelganger · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:47 pm Post subject:

ive added a potentiometer in line to turn it down to read right Wink

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lowlight 185 · Padawan Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 52

cheers all gona try and get prpper sender for it first.while ime here ive notice she is very thirsty on juice and ive been told this may be down to lamba sensor anyone no cheepist place to get one been told there 170smackos from dealer Sad

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Sutton in Ashfield .Nottinghamshire
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rjes · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:00 pm Post subject:

Don't pay £170 for a lambda sensor! You can ge a generic one (i.e. the same thing with no connector) for about £30. I'd make sure it's made by Bosch or NKK though if it was me. There are all sorts of unbranded ones too, which are no doubt not as good quality. You need narrow band a 3 (or 4) wire sensor - i.e. one with a built in heater. 5 (or 6?) wire ones are wide band.
It's fairly easy to test a lambda sensor in situ on th engine using a volt meter if you know a bit about engine management.

Be careful with the threads if fitting an aftermarket gauge sender into the Subaru tapping. Bizzarely for a Japanese car, the thread seems to be 1/8" BSP. Most gagues are M10 x 1 (VDO) or 1/8" NPT (Autometer, etc), and both will go into the 1/8" BSP thread for a few turns, but no further. If you then tighten them, you'll strip the thread.
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ElusiveStranger · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:06 pm Post subject:

rjes · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:40 pm Post subject:

I didn't remember it being as straight forward as that, but it's a couple of years since I tried all the different threads, so I just had another go, in two different coolant manifolds.

M10 x 1 parallel (couldn't find anything with an M10 x 1 tapered thread) goes in about 1.5 turns, then binds up. As far as I can tell, it's the pitch rather than the diameter which it binds on. Pretty dodgy.

The only thing I have with a 1/8" NPT thread is a tap, so I couldn't turn it with anything other than my fingers. However, it wouldn't even start in the 1/8" BSP manifold thread. It very nearly did, but the small end of the tap is too big a diameter. If it tapered down to a smaller diameter, no doubt it'd start. However, trying to mesh a 1/8" NPT and BSP thread together, even over just a few mm, it just doesn't fit nicely at all because of the 1 extra TPI.

In my opinion, M10 x 1 and 1/8" NPT into the 1/8" BSP thread are asking for trouble. If I had to fit one, I think I'd rely on PTFE tape or thread sealer to do the sealing, not on having to tighten the thread enough for it to seal itself.
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lowlight 185 · Padawan Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 52

cheers again going tommorrow night to get new sender and fit it into the heater matrix .but thats least of my worries ive just noticed mayo in header so looks like head gasket gone

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Sutton in Ashfield .Nottinghamshire
home of the robin hoodys

ElusiveStranger · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:52 pm Post subject:

Rich, I'm talking about the gauge sensor.
I got the sender from ETB instruments and it was actually them that said it is common to 'fit' an 1/8 NPT into a 1/8 BSPT. Didn't even contemplate a m10 1

Mine wasn't difficult to get in, no tape to seal (if you use too much there's the possibility you won't get an earth connection) and it's been in there for 18+ mths
_________________
The advice you receive on here is worth the paper it's written on.
Your experiences are worth shed loads to others, including the f'ups - live and learn.
Wouldn't YOU rather learn by someone else's mistakes? So would they.

'78 Bay, 2 litre 091 box, EJ20 NA & the ashtray's on the 'right' side.
I don't lean forward for hills any more Grin

Bugger, missed out on "Live fast, die young"

beetleseb · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:11 am Post subject:

I bought a durite sensor and guage from vehicle wiring products. I bought it cos it was cheap but it happens to be the right size sender (adaptors are avalible for other engines - like my new vw) and is really good reacts fast and always seems to be right.

Seb
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rjes · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:52 am Post subject:

M10 x 1 is probably the most common VDO thread for temp senders
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Richard,

R J Engineered Solutions
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www.rjes.com