My newly discovered possible oil leak worries me so now i want the peace of mind from a set of gauges. How about a oil pressure gauge and maybe a coolant temp gauge to protect me from overheating. I checked the obvious place for info(se-r.net) and i didnt see anything. Those of you with gauges please fill me in on how tuff it is to install and how much its gonna cost me. Im thinking digital gauge all the way so it will be easier to put in.

Originally posted by Black93
Im thinking digital gauge all the way so it will be easier to put in.

Actually, you're probably thinking of installing electrical instead of mechanical.

Do a search on the SE-R mailing list archives for Carson VDO gauges. He lists everything he ordered including part numbers. I found a site (http://www.egauges.com) that sells all of these parts.

Steve

One more thing... how do you hook them up.. do you use factory sensors and splice wires? And do i just drill a hole in the firewall?

EDIT:

Ok ive educated myself a little more.. i use a factory screw in point for the sender correct? Then the sender should have a little wire that goes to your gauge that is matched. (i.e 80psi sender 80psi gauge) So someone give me an idea where i screw into the engine, and what thread size i need? or am i totally off?

Just a note here: That http://www.egauges.com website has some hideous prices, IMHO. I checked an Autometer 3401 boost gauge. $52 at egauges.com...

Cruised on over to http://www.summitracing.com and found the same gauge for $39. Even with the $7 added shipping/handling...it's still cheaper.

Just a thought.

There's no need to drill any holes in the firewall. Instead, make a hole in the rubber gasket that surrounds the steering column where it goes through the firewall.

I highly recommend getting an oil pressure gauge. One saved my engine when an oil filter (200sx filter on an NX2000) blew off, and all of my oil exited the engine.

The idiot light would have let me know there was a problem too, but it would have been too late.

hey! you're going with the same setup i got :D

http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~gavriles/MVC-873S.JPG

for the oil pressure gauge, find a hole in the firewall, and run some wiring thought it, get under your car, and change out the senders (i think some people just splice into the stock one??)

for the water temp one it gets a little complicated if you're going to use the sender it comes with. you will need to drill and tap somewhere for it, I did it right on the spout that comes out of the block.

http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~gavriles/sender2.jpg

Hey Serban, where did you get those gauge pillars? I'd like to get some too.:D

Thanks.

I bought the gauges from summitracing, and the actual pod from some place in california, i forgot the name of it, but it was the cheapest place i found. the pod was about $24, and its for a 300zx.

hey, i have a gauge pod and a radiator cap from a 300zx...slowly my car will turn into a Z!!!:D

Wow...talk about quick. Thanks. Does it fit perfectly? What year was the pilar for? Wanna make sure I get the right one. What size gauges fit into them? They look like 2" to me but hard to tell.

Thank you for your replys.

The pod is for 90-96 models, but it will NOT fit perfectly, just get a heat gun, and it will start to mold around the pillar. The gauges are 2 1/16"

if you need more detailed info, email me serban91r@yahoo.com

Fast91SER, So how much did those sport comp gauges set you back ? Are they lit up, or easy to read at night?

Factory oil sender, where is it? all i got is a hanes manual.
And who has used the factory senders? Any quirks, what range do they operate at?

Hate to pester everyone but asking questions is the only way to learn :D

Originally posted by Fast91SER

hey, i have a gauge pod and a radiator cap from a 300zx...slowly my car will turn into a Z!!!:D

LMAO!!!!!

GET A 300ZX SHIFT KNOB!!!

Black93: both gauges cost around $90 shipped from Summit...they are a parts whore, they have good prices. The gauges light up nicely and are easy to read, they come with 2 bulb condoms, green, and red, but I just used some super white 194 bulbs, and they look bad ass...I will try to get a pic of them at night.

I used the sender that came with the gauges, I wasnt sure if the stock one would give an accurate reading, so to play it safe I changed it. If you get under your car and look for the starter...the oil sender is right across it on the block...kinda hard to explain, you just have to get under there and look for it.

Fig: you are out of control brotha...but hell, once my MOMO knob gets worn out, I will get a Z one..all thats gonna be left is the engine and the body:D

Fast91ser your the greatest! So let me get this right, summit sent you those two guages for 90 bucks and the senders? Including the water temp sender? Do you have to specify thread size etc? Last thing, what size are those? will they fit in the little cubby hole or in the radio spot?

Yes, oil pressure gauge is $49.95 (part # ATM-3327). water temp gauge is $39.95 (part # ATM-3337).

They each come with their own sender, and there are a few differnt thread sizes, just to make sure it fits, thats for the oil pressure one, the water temp comes with the sender, but you will have to drill and tap somewhere for it. this is where I put mine.
http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~gavriles/sender2.jpg

The gauges are 2 1/16" you can get them put where the radio is, or that cubby hole. Mike Jez has them in place of the cubby hole.
http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~gavriles/Im000154.jpg

I might want to do that, but then I need to get one more gauge, and a new pillar :D

Thanks for so much help im ordering today. Ok maybe this is the last question, where did mike jez get that backing plate is it custom? OH an nice shift nob what kind is it?

LOL you need anything like strut boots or something... maybe i can send you something for all you help :) ... how about duct tape or maybe an oil filter :D

Not sure about the shift knob or the plate, but I imagine the plate was just costum made. All you would need is to get it cut so it fits there, then get a 2 1/16" drill bit, and make 3 holes.:D

hehe, and actually, I would need some strut boots!! :D :D :D

Fwwwew , more questions

could you give me an idea what the thread size is for the factory oil sender? Egauges doesnt include a sender with the gauge. :mad:

Also this would be even more helpful,

Could some really smart geeko that happened to check out the ohms on the factory oil sender give a wannabe really smart geeko an idea for the factory sensor's ohms. Heck if i dont need an oil sender why bother! Maybe i can match a gauge to the factory one.

Would a fsm have this kind of information? I think its time i get my own!

I am pretty sure you can just splice into the wire for the water temp gauge (can someone back me up??). You might be able to do the same for the oil pressure, but I dont know if the gauges will be that accurate since you're not using the senders that came with them. I only used mine to be on the safe side.

Serban;

Yep, you're right in that you can just tap into the factory water temp sender power wire. It's exactly what I did, and it reads dead-on.

I used Autometer #4437 Pro-Comp water temp gauge. Ran the power, ground, and light wire...then simply tapped into the factory water temp sender wire on the back side of the block.

Good call!

-GP-