what do i need to install a autometer oil pressure gauge

91LX_5L

Founding Member
May 13, 2002
1,946
0
36
British Columbia
I want to keep my stock gauge working, I have a autometer electrical gauge, its a lunar series.

Anyways it says it comes with "Includes 1/8" NPT Sender & Includes 1/4'' NPT adapter/fittings"

So what do I need to install it? Keeping the stock gauge...can I pick up parts at a local hardware store or do I have to get them from autometer?

Thank you in advance!
:banana:
 
  • Sponsors (?)


I went to home depot or Lowes and got the brass pieces to make a "T" and put the autometer sensor on one side and the stock sensor on the other side. It takes a while to figure out the different sizes to get it all to work. If you have a Cobra it is MUCH harder because of the oil cooler. I did the same on my water temp to have the dash and the gauge to work.
 
I went a different route. I have the Cobra, so I had to get a part made. Both senders fit on this part nicely. I think I paid 30 or 40 bucks for it. I had a local shop out here machine it for me. You can use electrical or Mechanical gauges with this unit. I am gonna use the Mech with a Stainless line and some nice fittings just beacuse it is more accurate, and there is no extra sender to deal with around the oil cooler lines on my car. It is a pretty tight space on the Cobras. You should not have a problem either way.......

Here are some pics....

803618_47_full.jpg


803618_48_full.jpg
 
That's cool. Beats my mess. I have a 95 cobra and it is a mess for the senders.
All I really care about though are my autometer gauges. The dashboard is just nice to have working if anyone else cares. I don't.
 
i would not put a tee on the coolant sender. the probe needs to be in the flow of coolant. a Tee creates an alcove, which can reduce accuracy.

One can relocate the stock sender to the waterneck or the rear of the lower intake on *some* lowers.
 
How much accuracy are your talking about? My car runs at 190-200 degrees. Seems so-so. I'd rater just pull the stock sender and put in an autometer gauge. I hear the same about oil pressure. I just don't want to be running in the 220+ deg area. OP is about 45-50 psi. All seems so so to me and I don't race so I can't worry too much about it. I just want a reading insead of "C-H" or "L-H" on the stock cluster. How do I know how much pressure or temp I have when the range is in letters? I think it is all junk.

Actually, I thought about switching to the Autometer cluster, but they read the same as stock, they are just over $400 for the gauge cluster. Junk, all junk IMO. If I could have a custom speedo for the gears, a custom tach, a real fuel gauge that told you how much gas was left, a real temp gauge, a real oil gauge and even an ammeter that read voltage. I would buy it. But noooooooo! That would be to easy. The corporate world just wants replacement parts instead of reliable gauges. I can see that some would not understand the pressure, temp, volts etc, but I WOULD! I think I will call autometer tomorrow and bitch at them because now I am getting worked up about my gauges that cost me $400 so far and my stock ones half work.


:nonono: :nonono: :nonono: :nonono: :nonono:
 
CBZGT50 said:
How much accuracy are your talking about? My car runs at 190-200 degrees. Seems so-so. I'd rater just pull the stock sender and put in an autometer gauge. I hear the same about oil pressure. I just don't want to be running in the 220+ deg area. OP is about 45-50 psi. All seems so so to me and I don't race so I can't worry too much about it. I just want a reading insead of "C-H" or "L-H" on the stock cluster. How do I know how much pressure or temp I have when the range is in letters? I think it is all junk.

Actually, I thought about switching to the Autometer cluster, but they read the same as stock, they are just over $400 for the gauge cluster. Junk, all junk IMO. If I could have a custom speedo for the gears, a custom tach, a real fuel gauge that told you how much gas was left, a real temp gauge, a real oil gauge and even an ammeter that read voltage. I would buy it. But noooooooo! That would be to easy. The corporate world just wants replacement parts instead of reliable gauges. I can see that some would not understand the pressure, temp, volts etc, but I WOULD! I think I will call autometer tomorrow and bitch at them because now I am getting worked up about my gauges that cost me $400 so far and my stock ones half work.

you kind of lost me here. ill hit a couple things that come to mind. The degree (no pun intended. ok, ok, it was) of accuracy loss with a Tee'd temp sender will depend upon the tee used and how the senders are oriented. I think everyone gets that in a Tee, the coolant will go there and have a hard time being scavenged out. so the temps in there change radiantly. all in all, probably not a huge deal. sometime if redoing stuff, i would address it (unless you are like me and it would bother you).

now this is true of most temp senders. NOTE that one should never attach two gauge sending unit wires to one sender. if both gauges were calibrated the same, each gauge would read 1/2 of what it should. most gauges are not calibrated, so they would be useless (this was not in response to anything anyone said - just info for future searchers).

with oil pressure, a tee does not pose an issue in regard to accuracy. pressure is pressure.

the stock gauges are pretty much 'something' or 'nothing' gauges. i dont care to try to interpolate them. and they are made that way by design. in studies, drivers were unnerved with gauge needles that moved around in small increments on a fairly regular basis (as many of our aftermarket gauges do). in some cars, an IVR is built in to the gauge pod (older foxes - up to around the end of '89). newer gauges have hysteresis built into the gauge. what calms the average buyer is not what enthusiasts like ourselves want. that is why we all have a ton of gauges all over out interiors. :)

i am not sure what autometer cluster is being talked about (that reads as hysteretically as the stock gauges). if the gauges come with new senders, i see no reason why the gauges would not be accurate (something like the clusters from Florida5.0 are very accurate). now if someone makes gauges that use the stock senders, well........ (somehow retrofit real senders on there. LOL).

And Shane, I forgot earlier - nice job on the fitting you used. foxes have a 'hex tube' off the block which the OP sender screws into. people have tapped that hex tube for a mech fitting; it is very much the same idea as what you did. that looks like a nice piece for the tight confines of the Snake. :nice:
 
Sorry to lose you. I just want one gauge, one that reads the pressure, temp, fuel level, etc. I don't want something stupid like Ford, Chevy etc puts in there for the stupid or non-understanding driver. Auto meter makes clusters for the mustang to replace the stock cluster, but they are the same type system as the stock. Not the same as what I would buy for "my understanding". Hope that makes more sense. I know I am only one of thousands that would desire that type of gauge but space is being used with two gauges and I should (or want) only one that I can us purposely. To me, stock gauges are as good as an idiot light, they tell you NOTHING!
 
CBZGT50 said:
Sorry to lose you. I just want one gauge, one that reads the pressure, temp, fuel level, etc. I don't want something stupid like Ford, Chevy etc puts in there for the stupid or non-understanding driver. Auto meter makes clusters for the mustang to replace the stock cluster, but they are the same type system as the stock. Not the same as what I would buy for "my understanding". Hope that makes more sense. I know I am only one of thousands that would desire that type of gauge but space is being used with two gauges and I should (or want) only one that I can us purposely. To me, stock gauges are as good as an idiot light, they tell you NOTHING!
so is this
kinda' what you are lookin for? It should use all autometer gauges and senders and be as accurate as any autometer gauge. if you dont replace all the senders, it might not be as accurate as it could be (things like the fuel level sender - I am not sure if it gets replaced). but the oil pressure, temp, etc gauges should be accurate.
But this is about as close as i know of, in something that is not just custom, one-off.
 
HISSIN50 said:
And Shane, I forgot earlier - nice job on the fitting you used. foxes have a 'hex tube' off the block which the OP sender screws into. people have tapped that hex tube for a mech fitting; it is very much the same idea as what you did. that looks like a nice piece for the tight confines of the Snake. :nice:

Thanks, but that is the fox log. I just had it cut and tapped like you described. It was just too long for the car stock, so I shortened it. I could probably get both electric senders on there, but then I might lose some accuracy. Plus I like the look of the stainless braided line under the hood anyhow. Just gives me more reason to get braided fuel lines and whatnot. It just never ends.