VDO installation -- part 2

[dtharp113]

Got the gauges installed, wiring is, well, wired in, stumbling block is the senders (oil pressure and water temp). Is there an adapter out there or do I have the wrong senders for the car? Or, am I looking to install in the wrong place?

TIA

Dennis

[KFunk]

I haven't read Part 1 of this installation, so I have no clue what you're trying to accomplish. With that said:

As far as I know, the stock temp sender and the VDO sender are the same thing and interchangable, and yours on the left looks OK. Just don't hook both wires to the same sender, it will throw off both readings. Each needs its own sender.

There should be a threaded hole underneath your intake manifold where you can fit the second temp sender.

I have no idea what the stock oil pressure sender looks like, since I've never had one. But your VDO sender should look like a little canister with two posts, and I think it screws right in the factory location at the back of the head. You can pitch your factory sender, and hook your factory oil light up to one of the posts on the VDO sender, and it'll work just fine. But, the VDO sender is much more sensitive than stock, and will trigger the oil light at like 14PSI, whereas the factory is like 4 PSI. So its a nice early warning.

[KFunk]

ah you added a pic. That looks like the right oil pressure sender on the right. The temp sender on the left though... I dunno, never seen one like that before. Maybe thats the new style VDO sells, and I have only old ones.

[KFunk]

Oh, and my car has a little brass adapter that the oil pressure sender screws into, but I think it has the same threads as the head.... its been there since I bought the car.

I dunno, perhaps it offsets it so that it clears the distributor. I was hopin somebody else would jump in and clarify. I still have it there, as I have a mess of plumbing that needs pushed to the side for both the VDO sender and a pressure switch.

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kfunk/2002/engine/DSC01544b.JPG

[dtharp113]

What's throwing me off on the install is the difference in size -- the factory sender(s) are larger in diameter. Didn't know if one uses a reducing bushing to accomodate, or if there is actually a proper sized sender.

I've got an email into the tech folks at egauges dot com, but thought I'd avail myself of the knowledge here as well.

Dennis

[visionaut]

I can only comment on the Oil Pressure sensor. The unit in your 1st picture on the right. You need an adapter for it. The adapter screws into the head, and sender/sensor screws into the adapter. (Mine wasn't brass like KFunk's but I expect it's similar, in it offsets and angles the VDO sender some from the hole in the head). I have no idea why it's so big, but it works - you hook your Oil Pressure idiot light up to one terminal and your VDO Oil Pressure gauge to the other.

[ifayeoh]

take to auto parts store and see if they can hook you up. the other one will also need and adaptor. looks like the thread size on small one is 1/8 npt, i cant tell what the other one is. they should know at a decent parts store.

i have that small one and ended up tapping and threading the oil pan plug to measure oil temp, it works good. egauges will sell you the proper one once you know the thread sizes.

hth