Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,

Currently looking to fit oil pressure and oil temperature gauges to our van (engine: 2.1 MV). We've found plenty of helpful stuff online and we'll be machining a manifold to take senders/sensors out of aluminium, which will be fed by an extension run from the low rpm/0.3 bar sensor location, as is the norm.
However, we are currently considering a number of configurations as summarised below:

a) Machine the manifold to take the pressure gauge sender, oil temp sender and 0.3 bar sensor leaving the high rpm/0.9 sensor where it is (in a damn awkward position!). Only concern with this configuration is that the oil temperature reading might be a bit off due to the sensor not sitting in a flow of oil.

b) Machine the manifold to take ALL the sensors/senders. Same concern as above but in addition, will moving the high rpm/0.9 bar sensor cause any 'Buzzer of Doom' problems due to the fact that it will no longer be reading oil pressure at the point in the lubrication system VW intended it to? The advantage here is that everything will be easily accessible.

c) Fit the oil pressure sender for the gauge and both oil pressure sensors for the oil pressure warning system to the manifold and put the oil temp sender where the 0.9 bar pressure sensor currently is. This ensures a good oil temp reading but as with option b, the 0.9 bar sensor will no longer be in its VW intended place. We're really not sure if this is likely to problematic or not.


So, what would others who have been through this advise?

Many Thanks.

Leave high pressure sender where it is you will have lower pressure at end of gallery
Oil temp really needs to.be in engine or it will read wrong mine is in pressure relief valve plug ( you can buy these)
No easy place for oil.temp in direct sump oil if I were to make something it would be drilled into the oil filler pipe at the base

There are remote T piece kits for pressure senders and low pressure switch off the shelf no point in reinventing the wheel

itchyfeet wrote:Leave high pressure sender where it is you will have lower pressure at end of gallery
Oil temp really needs to.be in engine or it will read wrong mine is in pressure relief valve plug ( you can buy these)
No easy place for oil.temp in direct sump oil if I were to make something it would be drilled into the oil filler pipe at the base

There are remote T piece kits for pressure senders and low pressure switch off the shelf no point in reinventing the wheel

I've been looking into this myself, with a view to being properly prepared for when my new engine eventually goes in.

Brickwerks sell a temperature sender that fits in place of the sump drain plug.



They also have a dual sender that will feed both a 5 bar gauge and the standard oil pressure warning light. Not cheap, but a neat solution.



And they have a relocation kit, so that this dual sender can be fitted on top of the engine.

Are you sure the sump plug fits a WBX with external hex?

that brickwerks relocation kit is expensive if I remember, a standard remote T means you can reuse your oil pressure switch and use any lower cost that VDO gauge saving yourself a pile of money, the onlydrawback is you need to make a bracket, the pclip isn't really good enough.

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

Well I don't (yet) have one of the temperature senders, so I can't guarantee the fitment, but Brickwerks do state that it's for Petrol and Diesel models. The recess around in the WBX sump plug might make access to the hex fitting a bit tight I agree - I'll check with Brickwerks I think.

That dual sender for pressure does seem pricey I agree, but it's in keeping with other VDO sender prices as far as I can see. Is that because of the 'brand name tax', or are VDO senders worth the extra cost?

The temperature sender sump plug is easily accessed with a box spanner

T3luestar wrote:The temperature sender sump plug is easily accessed with a box spanner

Good to know, thank you.

I'm sure VDO are great quality it's just that I don't want to spend that much on something that is not really needed unless you have low oil pressure ( the reason I did it) barely look at them now I replaced the engine.

Box spanners are great but you would have to modify one to get a torque wrench on it, personally I torque sump plugs every time had one fall out and ons stripped from ovefr and under tightening.

itchyfeet wrote:I'm sure VDO are great quality it's just that I don't want to spend that much on something that is not really needed unless you have low oil pressure ( the reason I did it) barely look at them now I replaced the engine.

Box spanners are great but you would have to modify one to get a torque wrench on it, personally I torque sump plugs every time had one fall out and ons stripped from ovefr and under tightening.

Never had to modify a box spanner for using a torque wrench yet - either a socket that fits on the other end if the corners are well enough defined or a nut in the other end, no more difficult than putting a socket onto the wrench.

nut in the other end would be somewhat fiddly to keep it in place but It would work
(still a modification )

T3luestar wrote:The temperature sender sump plug is easily accessed with a box spanner

Do you remember what the hex dimensions are? Is it a 17mm hex perhaps, or 19mm? Just asking so I can check this evening whether I have a thin walled socket to suit.

19mm

My sender is mounted in the engine bay, using a T-piece and hose from Demon Tweeks.

T3luestar wrote:19mm

Thank you. None of my 19mm sockets will fit in the sump plug recess. I've ordered a box spanner set. If the 19mm box spanner is still too tight, i.e. if it binds, such that the torque reading wouldn't be accurate, I might consider having half a mm shaved off each flat of the sender (by the nice people in the labs at work), making it an 18mm hex. My standard 18mm spark plug socket fits in the recess easily.

Or shave the corners off the box spanner
Or grind a socket down

Anybody else reading or considering this check you have a M14 sump plug thread, many are now M16 or even M18 as my tin top is.