Installed auto meter water temp sensor in block

[sbelyo]

I installed the water temp sensor in the engine block on the drivers side blow the last freeze out plug on my 2001 GT.

I tightened it all the way until it felt like it bottomed out. There was only like 1 thread left to go. I'm thinking the stock plug was like this too because there was several threads left on that one.

Am I blocking any cooling passages or not allowing the sensor to get the right reading by doing this?

And those of you that have it in the same place, what did you do?

 

[sgarlic]

I just screwed it in til it felt tight.. I remember reading other threads where people felt like it was bottoming out, but I didn't feel that. I have the electric gauge/sender.. are you using the mech? For some reason I remember thinking after reading several threads, that it's the mech gauge sender that bottoms out.

 

[the98stang]

I just tightened mine good. But it didn't feel like it 'bottomed out'

 

[sbelyo]

It's the electric one. I thought I felt it just barely bottom out. I'm not that woried. As long as everyone else's works. The picture that Indiana posted on here looks just like mine (with about 1 thread left).

I wasn't expecting the 1.5 gallons of anti-freeze to come showering down!!

I only had this little bucket. I was feverishly squirming from under the car to retrieve the large catch pan.

Right after that my neighbor comes out and says "Hey man you're filthy, what the hell are you doing?"

Just in case:

The size socket that worked for me on the coolant plug in the block was 11/16" It may have been metric, but I wasn't going to go back to my box after sliding under the car.

The size on the lock nut of the sender was 12mm

The size of the adaptor for the sender to the block was 3/4"

The size of the small nut on the end of the sensor was 3/8"

So anyone that attemps this in the future, have something that will hold at least 2 gallons under the car when you remove the plug.

 

[sgarlic]

The funniest thing is, and I did the same thing: you know damn well coolant is going to spill out when you remove the plug, yet when it does, you're totally unprepared, and probably even try to plug the hole with your finger.. thereby redirecting the coolant in to your eyes and hair. Good stuff!

And that coolant plug is 8mm hex drive.

 

[jeffnoel]

I had my sensor located there but always felt the temps I got from that location were a little hi due to the poor flow in that area and those cylinders typically running hotter the the others. So here's what I did When I installed the Fuidyne last summer. And now the gauge shows fluctuation as the thermostat opens and closes which you don't get with it mounted in the block.

Look at the thermostat housing.

 

[sbelyo]

And that coolant plug is 8mm hex drive.

11/16" 6 point was the size of the plug in my block

I just checked the plug with a caliper

 

[sbelyo]

I had my sensor located there but always felt the temps I got from that location were a little hi due to the poor flow in that area and those cylinders typically running hotter the the others. So here's what I did When I installed the Fuidyne last summer. And now the gauge shows fluctuation as the thermostat opens and closes which you don't get with it mounted in the block

I saw someone that had a sensor in both of those places and wired a switch in between. That way you can see both temps.

What temp did you see from the block?

 

[jeffnoel]

That was me, temps in the block were 230, temps from the thermostat housing are 210.

 

[sbelyo]

I knew the name looked familiar. I read so many threads on here I forget who types them.

How do you get the hole in the housing to be perfectly level? Or do you just eyeball it?

 

[the98stang]

I knew the name looked familiar. I read so many threads on here I forget who types them.

How do you get the hole in the housing to be perfectly level? Or do you just eyeball it?

I don't think it needs to be level. It should be close to the bottom on the T-stat though (not at the top)

 

[jeffnoel]

just eyeballed it, if you want I can get a close-up pic of it.

 

[sbelyo]

No need...

What size drill is it?

The thread is 1/8" npt i suppose

 

[sgarlic]

11/16" 6 point was the size of the plug in my block

I just checked the plug with a caliper

Guess we used different plugs then..

 

[sbelyo]

Is there more than 1 on the driver's side?