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Forum namePerformance/Engine
Topic subjectI hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Topic URLhttps://forums.2gnt.com/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=i5&topic_id=47993
47993, I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by KSeclipse, Apr-01-03 03:57 PM
I recently installed 2 autometer gauges. One, a voltmeter, seems to stay around 12. the other, an electric oil pressure gauge. Tonight is the first night it's worked, but when it did i was going crazy all over the place, negative and well over 100. IT was flying around faster than i could read. WTF did i do wrong? I tee'd the stock 3/8 hole and plugged it in so to speak and sealed w/white teflon tape, sorta. and ran wire from that back nut on it to the sender post ont he gauge. The other to the cig. lighter, and the other to my parking lights. It lights up when i turn the lights on, but it wont turn on anymore and when it did it was on crack. Help me out please!!!!!x(
48005, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by djtrickee, Apr-01-03 05:29 PM
Sounds like you got the wires backwards and fed the gauge 12V on the sender wire, which pretty much fried it.
Just guessing though,
Chris b.
48007, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by KSeclipse, Apr-01-03 05:39 PM
what do you mean? bear with me here, imagine this is the gauge

=( )- the front is the part that screws in to the tee. the back is a little bolt with a nut on it. I attached a wire to this bolt and ran it to my gauges sender post. I am sure everything is hooked up where it should be, but i read somewhere that the sensor is supposed to be grounded, but mine only had one output
48070, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by The1Bill, Apr-02-03 08:12 AM
don't use tape
don't use tape
don't use tape
don't use tape
don't use tape


Use teflon paste instead of teflon tape. The tape comes off in little strings that like to take up residence in your oil pump. The paste, if it escapes, will get caught in the oil filter after one cycle.
-=B-=
48083, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by KSeclipse, Apr-02-03 10:34 AM
but why isn't my gauge working right?
48084, come on! someone please i know you guys have this gauge
Posted by KSeclipse, Apr-02-03 11:09 AM
please, anyone
48085, RE: come on! someone please i know you guys have this gauge
Posted by Michael_97RS, Apr-02-03 11:25 AM
Some people an't check until later in the day.

I would say make sure that the conections are solid and if no results are good contact Autometer, you may have a faulty sending unit or possibly a bad guage.



15.9 @ 86.7mph

Injen CAI, 55mm TB, P&P Intake, Crower Cams, Hooker Header, ERT/Catco Cat, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, Crane Ign Amp, S-AFC
48086, RE: come on! someone please i know you guys have this gauge
Posted by thedawg, Apr-02-03 11:28 AM
Disconnect the wiring at both ends and use a voltmeter check to see that you didn't accidentally ground or short the gauge somewhere. Check with the car off and running.
48092, RE: come on! someone please i know you guys have this gauge
Posted by Dirty, Apr-02-03 01:43 PM
The sender should have a good enough ground by being screwed to the tee that in your block. It's also sounds like there is a exposed wire touching metal or one is in the wrong place. Try to change power sources. What did you use for the ground? Did you try to grount the sender?
48095, RE: come on! someone please i know you guys have this gauge
Posted by 97eclipseRS, Apr-02-03 02:27 PM
yeah you only need to ground the sender if it's remotely mounted
48112, RE: come on! someone please i know you guys have this gauge
Posted by KSeclipse, Apr-02-03 04:10 PM
i dont get it because last night it came on and was going crazy flicking from left to right faster than i could blink. that made me think it was a bad connection. But it still isn't working, could i have fried the sender some how?
48141, RE: come on! someone please i know you guys have this gauge
Posted by Fast420A, Apr-03-03 01:09 AM
I've heard of A LOT of autometer oil pressure gauge senders going bad, That's why I use Autometer's MECHANICAL oil pressure gauge. And before someone says something about the hot oil spraying in the car, Have you ever seen that happen or even read that it happened anywhere?

As far as your gauge goes, check all the connections and if those are fine then it's probably a bad sender. Call Autometer.




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48152, RE: come on! someone please i know you guys have this gauge
Posted by Michael_97RS, Apr-03-03 03:00 AM
>I've heard of A LOT of autometer oil pressure gauge senders
>going bad, That's why I use Autometer's MECHANICAL oil
>pressure gauge. And before someone says something about the
>hot oil spraying in the car, Have you ever seen that happen or
>even read that it happened anywhere?

AMEN Kyle! I've been running mechanical oil pressure for roughly 2 years, no problems no sprays, nothing. I also have had no problem with teflon tape, as long as you wrap it corrcetly you won't see a problem. Wrap only the threads and not anything that will come into the path of the fluid, and you seal with no damage.



15.9 @ 86.7mph

Injen CAI, 55mm TB, P&P Intake, Crower Cams, Hooker Header, ERT/Catco Cat, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, Crane Ign Amp, S-AFC
48142, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by MJT, Apr-03-03 02:01 AM
>and ran
>wire from that back nut on it to the sender post ont he gauge.
> The other to the cig. lighter, and the other to my parking
>lights. It lights up when i turn the lights on, but it wont
>turn on anymore and when it did it was on crack. Help me out
>please!!!!!x(


If I'm reading this correctly, you hooked up one terminal to the sending unit, one terminal to the lighter, and one to your parking lights? One of those should be a chassis ground.
48161, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by Kirby, Apr-03-03 03:54 AM
Yes check the little black box (all my electric autometer guages came with one so I suspect this one did too) to make sure all connections are correct. The guage should have all the wires comming out of it that you need to hook up to. What is this post on the back of the guage that you have a wire running to? I hope that is not the adjustment bolt on the back of the guage. I don't have an oil pressure guage, but I bet dollars to doughnuts that you shouldn't have a wire running to a post on the back of the guage. I may not have read this right so if not correct me please. BTW you do need to have a ground somewhere so if you don't that's problem #1.
48207, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by KSeclipse, Apr-03-03 04:15 PM
my gauge only has 3 bronze posts coming out of the back. no wires except to the light bulb. i assumed i hooked up wires w/loops to the posts. and yes they are grounded. the voltmeter works, the oil one came on again today, all squirly and crazy but is dead now.
48217, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by 97eclipseRS, Apr-03-03 05:47 PM
yes, the oil press gauges have three posts on the back to connect three wires that you have to run. it doesn't have plugs like their other electrical gauges.
48219, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by KSeclipse, Apr-03-03 05:56 PM
cool, so i did it right, but why won't it read? i'm sure it's all hooked up right, unless i need to ground the sender to something, everything else is grounded etc.
48363, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by KSeclipse, Apr-05-03 08:24 AM
anyone?
48371, RE: I hope this gauge isn't reading what it shows
Posted by grain, Apr-05-03 12:02 PM
make sure that the wire that is ran from the sending unit isnt getting ripped up, i hope you used a gromet when you put the wire through the firewall, i think it be getting freyed and grounding out. just a though, check that wire all the way to the unit and the back of the gauge