Page 1 of 7

Locations for water temp / oil sensor installation?

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:14 am
by Merlin
Where is the best place to install a sensor for a coolant temp guage? Is it best to install an inline coupler for the sensor or is there a better location on the block?

For oil I have found that the best place is where the OEM oil pressure sensor is, on the back of the block under the oil filter. If you install a solid metal machined t-piece there you can install another sensor. Honda decided that that location was the best to get a good reading, so it makes sense for me to install one there as well 8-) http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorspor ... re-t-piece

Edit - just read that the t-piece does nto give an accurate temp reading :( so need another location.

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:17 am
by judderod
Probably right next to the OEM location, just where the upper rad pipe connects to the block. I guess that's the where the water would be at its hottest, just before it leaves the engine.

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:19 am
by Merlin
By installing an inline sensor point in the hose?

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:29 am
by NafemanNathan
Are you not planning on having an oil cooler setup? Therefore why not come off the sandwich plate/adapter?

I've got an inline hose adapter to run off the top hose. As Rod suggested, that's where the water temp should be at it's hottest.

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:31 am
by Merlin
^^ Cool that sounds good.


Ok i'll back this bitch up a bit. I want to monitor oil temp and pressure plus coolant temp. Oil wise I have a sandwich plate for my oil cooler but the sandwich plate only has feeds for the in/out for the cooler, no extra sensor locations.

I suppose for oil I could use the T-piece for the OEM oil pressure sensor and for the temp I could get a replacement sump plug with a hole for a sensor? Would I get an accurate temp reading from the sump? Using two different sensors for pressure and temp wil lprobably mean I need two separate guages :?

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:35 am
by Merlin
So an inline coolant thing like the one BMCC is using?

Image
http://www.ludegeneration.co.uk/profile ... t2646.html

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:01 pm
by NafemanNathan
The sump is prone to be naturally air cool when driving though. Where as oil at the back of the block and around the exhaust manifold is again going to at it's hottest.

Do you have any means to drill and tap two ports into your sandwich plate? Otherwise yeah, "T"ing off of the OEM oil pressure switch location could be an option.

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:21 pm
by Merlin
Yeah you are right about the cooling effect on the sump, I didnt think ouf that. I could send the sandwich plate off to my local engineering company and get them to tap a 1/8" hole in the side. Although I wish there was a better option :(

Image

im going to look at the service manual again to see if there are any other oil feeds on the back of the block.

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:27 pm
by Merlin
After searching the net I suppose I could do something like this?

Image

Or get the tapped sersor position drilled into a spacer instead of the sanwich plate?

http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p2006 ... e8ee52bf98

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:32 pm
by nellers2001
When I installed an oil temp and pressure gauge on my old Lude, I used the sandwich plate for the temp sensor as that seemed the most logical place after researching various places you mentioned above. The pressure sensor ran off a t-piece so that I could also keep the stock idiot pressure sensor. But remember if you want to do this from the block, use a braided line from the block (I used a 50cm one), put a coil in the braided line, and then attach the t-piece to this. This is so that any engine movement gets taken up in the slack in the coil, rather than stretching it. Also the t-piece with 2 sensors can be quite heavy and if screwed straight into the block, the weight and movement/vibrations can result in it snapping, whereas with the braided line there's plenty of slack and you can mount the t-piece on the firewall or attached somewhere secure.