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is there anyb reason why you couldn't use a noraml temp guage on the auto fluid?
i have set one up and all is go but she won't measure the temp
just put a tee peice into the cooler lines for the sender unit
any help would be good
cheers

What's a "normal" temperature gauge? If you're asking whether or not any old oil temp gauge would work, I think it would. You just need to make sure the sender unit (if it's electrical) or the gauge mechanical parts (if it's mechanical) is oil-safe. So you probably wouldn't want to use any old water temperature gauge.

When you say it won't measure the temp, do you mean it just reads a certain value all the time? What kind of gauge is it?

it is just an electrical temp guage with a sender.
the needle doesn't move at all to show temp

Have you checked to make sure the gauge is getting power? And that the sender is getting power? And if the sender's getting power, what voltage is it outputting?

yep got power, got an earth. have an oil pressure guage set up next to it exactly the same, works fine. tried another guage in case it was faulty, still no go.
guage has 3 connections. power, earth & sender. no leaks at the sender the atf should heat up same as engine coolant( ?) so tyhe guage should show failry quick hey. who knows, looks good in the dash though!!!

haha, almost as good as your auto selector in the gauge cluster. :p

dagsy wrote:guage has 3 connections. power, earth & sender.

Ooh, just one wire for the sender? The sender grounds through its body, then, no? Do you have the sender in a place where its body can ground through the chassis? The ATF cooler lines may not actually be grounded well enough. You may need to run a ground wire to the sender body itself somehow.

so just connect a wire from the sender to the body hey?this won't interfere with the signal?

Every 1-wire temperature sender I've seen was basically just a thermistor. One terminal of the thermistor was connected to the wire or connector on it and the other to its body.

Think about it -- you can't send a signal with just one wire.

So, yeah, try attaching a wire to the sender with a hose clamp or something and running it to a good convenient ground, like maybe a bolt on the intake manifold.

but the oem guage is just a single wire job isn't it

It grounds through the body of the transmission, yes.

tried grounding the sender to both body and engine, but that just open circuits the guage giving it full voltage.
the oil pressure guage is set up exactly the same way and it works a treat
tried using a pot of boiling water to get a reading and still no luck
if only it came with fitting instructions

You're grounding the body of the sender to the body of the car, right? Not the connector of the sender?

ah no, i just connected the grnd lead to the connector on the sender. suppose this is why i am not an auto sparky...

Hehehe... Yeah, you need to ground its body. Normally it expects to be threaded into the transmission itself, so its body is connected to the chassis that way. Leave the one-wire connector going straight to the gauge.

cheers, thanks for your help vrg3. should ahve just got you to do the job hey

Heh. So it worked then?

will let you know when i get home from work

yep, worked a treat. it's a brass tee piece so i just used a hose clamp to attach the ground wire then off to the body.....at last
thanks for your help vrg3
now for the next project....

Awesome. You're welcome.

What's the next project? :)

well, i think it will be new front sway bar with hd links. just put on an 18-22 on the rear and it feels heaps nicer. being a wgn it got a little roll on around corners, now it seems to sit nice and flat.
iv'e heard you shouldn't have a bigger bar on the rear than the front (?) so that will be about it.

A bigger rear bar than the front one will usually give you more oversteer than is ideal on a street vehicle, yes.