bmccrary

Ok, so I had just recently installed a set of Autometer gauges, Tranny temp and Oil Temp.

I just hooked up the oil temp today after I went to Lowes and picked up a fitting to go in that port just above the oil filter.

A few minutes after starting the car I had pegged the meter at 300 degrees!

What are the normal oil temps for these cars?

Second, the fitting I got only allowed a little bit of the sender to be exposed... could it be that I am reading the block temps over the oil temps? I guess I could cut the fitting down some to let the sender be exposed more.

The car still runs fine, oil pressure is where it normally is, low as **** at idle and then picks up when moving. Water temps are fine as well.

Could it just be a bad gauge?

I appreciate any help.

-bryan

the_merv

iTrader: (88)

You have a wire crossed somewhere..

bmccrary

I am starting to think that. I am going to go out later and make sure nothing is done incorrectly behind the gauges.

Also, I have the wires for the senders zip tied together. Like the oil temp wire is zip tied to the wire that runs to the trans temp. Stupid question, I know. But that shouldn't effect it should it? I mean the trans temps were fine.

-bryan

the_merv

iTrader: (88)

Sounds like one of the wires in the back of the Oil Temp Gauge is grounded when it shouldn't be..

bmccrary

Im heading out to hit the wires with the voltmeter and see whats going on.

-bryan

smoknta

Is it always pegged? or does is graduallly go up after starting, then peg?

bmccrary

Ok so I went out with my buddy and played with the volt meter.

The ground seems to be good. When completeing the circuit to test voltage, I was getting like 11.9v and I disconected the ground, we got very little. Which makes me think that the ground is fine. If there were any breaks in it or such the numbers would be over the board.

However by wiggling a few wires we got it to drop back, but I think it was a bad power connection because we couldn't duplicate it after I pinched the end and put it back on.

I replaced my gauges with my buddies oil temp that works fine and the same thing.

I checked the wires to the sender and everything was fine. I am wondering if its the sender. Tomorrow I will swap the trans and oil sensors and see what happens. Thats after I call autometer though.

To answer your question. It gets up to 180 imediatly, then gradually climbs to 300.

-bryan

bmccrary

I called Autometer this morning and spoke with a guy there. A+ for customer service there. I explained how I had the gauges wired and what I have done test the problem. He assured me that the problem was due to the fact that all my grounds were tired together and that the oil temp is kinda wierd about the grounding. He suggested that the ground should be seperate of all the others and mounted in a different location.

Sure enough, after replacing the ground the gauge works nicely. My temps hover between 180 and 200, citing driving sucks! Its about 80 degrees or so here in NC and with that city traffic the motor gets heat soaked quick....

But at least it works now and Im not freaking out over the temps reading 300F, lol.

Thanks for the help with this guys!

-bryan