What sort of oil pressure gauge?

[Linds490]

Hi
Where do I buy an oil pressure gauge (VW garage doesn't know) and what sort should I get? I'm really stumped by the bad service I seem to get at garages with this vehicle.

Help please
Lindsey

[ewenmaclean]

Hello,

the two basic choices are mechanical or electrical. The readout from mechanical is more reliable since it won't suffer from electrical gremlins, but I have an electrical one which is accurate enough to know if things are going wrong. I just got one of the cheap ones from ebay - you just need to extend the signal wire and find a route to the front. Demon tweeks is a good site to find oil pressure gauges etc... you can buy the gauge and fitments separately there too:

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

VDO gauges are preferred by vw I believe - they suit the look of the van pretty well I think.

Ewen

[kevtherev]

that sums it all up really Ewen

mines a mechanical gauge (white face)

[AdrianC]

The big difference between a mechanical gauge and an electric gauge is what needs to be run from engine to dashboard.

Both need an adapter fitting in place of one of the original oil pressure light switches.

An electric gauge needs a small electrical sender, then a single wire running to the dash.
A mechanical gauge needs a tube containing pressurised engine oil running to the dash.

I know which I prefer...

Both will need a feed and an earth electrical connection for the light, electrical will need an ignition-switched live which the mechanical probably won't.

I've got a TIM electrical gauge from Demon Tweeks. The sender's been fitted since before we left. The gauge itself is still sitting under the back seat. I MUST get round to it...

You also really want the gauge to be somewhere in your line of sight, or not far from it. The real benefit lies in seeing when there's too little pressure, but still enough that the light hasn't come on (or the light's failed). You can get little pod mounts that sit neatly next to the existing instrument binnacle.

[Linds490]

Thanks chaps-Lets hope my partner can now order one and fit it and then sort out the buzzer of doom stuff. The garage say the pressure is fine but it's impossible to just ignore it.
Lindsey

[Aidan]

Have the garage run a wet gauge on the engine when it's driving hot ? Only then can they say it's ok, bod system is dead simple and fault finding it is pretty simple too
if you earth the sender wire from the high pressure switch and bod stops goin off it's a sender issue, if it still goes off it's wiring issue, there's nowt simpler than that really, problem is often the dashboard circuit board, and multiplug

[kevtherev]

A wet gauge (to clarify) is a mechanical gauge

[Linds490]

Now I need to know the thread size! Demon-tweeks can supply the pressure gauge . The diesel engine is a Jx 1600 turbo.

[ewenmaclean]

Hello,

you need M10x1 or equivalently 1/8npt to fit the tapping in either the head or oil filter housing. Using the head tapping is probably more useful as some pressure is lost on the way from the pump to the cam. Hope that helps.

Ewen