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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - oil temp sender location

I don't think I really need it, but would like to put in an oil temp guage. Any thoughts on where to fit it whether an elec one or a mechanical bulb? In the oil cooler,-thermistat,-in the oil line or sump? Sure would be nice it there were one that screwed into the oil drain plug! By the way, I bought a cylinder head temp guage from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty. Nice 2 inch unit and the sender is a by-metalic ring which fits under the sparkplug. Two dissimiliar metals, when heated, produce an electical signal which is sent to the guage.So the guage is , technically, elec but requires no connection to the ships power. Pos or Neg ground system makes no difference.Neat! Now we can see if shuting off the heater really does cause #4 cyl to over heat. Bob C
chamberlain Bob

Bob, the best and easiest place to place the sender for an Oil temp gauge is in the sump.

Mark.
M T Boldry

I agree with Mark - just braze an adapter into the sump pan.
Deborah Evans

Hey Bob,

I got a pipe Fitting that would fit into the oil pan DRAIN hole and put the electric sender into the fitting then put a pull-apart wire clip on close to the drian for easy removal during oil changes

no drilling, or brazing...Installed it 6 months ago, with oil on it for 4 months...No leaks so far.

Brad did the same thing

Where in kansas are you....Jaw hawks.... HUH, Over-rated! LOL

Prop... MU Tigers Even scare me, And im a fan!
Prop

Bob, do you have an oil cooler fitted? If so then yu rpobably are more interested in the temp of the oil as it is about to be pumped into the engine after the cooler, rather than after it has got hot and gone into the sump.
David Smith

I simply drilled through the sump plug & tapped it 3/8 NPT (i think) for the sender, easy enough job. Mine has probably seen a bit more temperature than Prop's.
Brad (Sprite IV 1380)

I dont know brad,

It got pretty freaken cold here...LOL

Prop
Prop

Hey Brad and Prop, both seem like good ideas.I am dealing with a mech bulb for the sensor. I could go elec if I changed to Neg earth which means a tach redo. What are the thread sizes for this fitting of the elec sender? Is it a common hardware item with both internal and external threads that match the drain hole as well as the temp prob? I'll check the thread count of the oil drain plug later but what is the count and size of the sensor if I may ask? Did you get it from Holden in the UK? What do you all think of the cyl head temp deal? Later and thanks,--Bob C in Wichita
chamberlain Bob

I used a sensor from auto meter which has pipe thread on the outside, then the sump fitting was pipe thread and screwed into the drain hole with a pipe threaded hole in the center of the fitting for the sensor ...Did that make scnce

the pipe thread is universial...its tapered threads

sorta like the last to the right fitting then the sensor with its pipe thread screws into it

The auto meter gauge came with all the extra fittings I needed ...just had to buy the sump fitting

the bulb type gauge Im guessing is like the water temp gauge...yeah thats going to be a little extra work....Id say drill a hole and braze in a fitting into the oil pan

http://brass-bushes.brass-pipe-fittings.com/

Prop
Prop

"Bob, do you have an oil cooler fitted? If so then yu rpobably are more interested in the temp of the oil as it is about to be pumped into the engine after the cooler, rather than after it has got hot and gone into the sump.#

your other option is to get a replacement oil stat from Mocal which is drilled for a temperature sender.

http://www.thinkauto.com/oilstatcolour.htm
Deborah Evans

DEB....

To COOL!!!

Now I can have 2 oil temp gauges...one for knowing the oil temp in the sump, and the other gauge to know the oil temp in the system....LOL, your the best Deb

Prop...now 16 guages and counting
Prop

That's me Prop - Helping the Spridget Community out of the goodness of my heart! :D

BTW want to send me an air ticket and I'll fly over from NYS and sort your engine. Heheheheh
Deborah Evans

Can you be here in 2 hours...LOL

yeah im off (supposedly) work today thur wed. So I should have everything sorted this week...Now that it will start

I need to get this work est. done but I just want to play

Prop...Back to work...(Regrettably)

Deb, Are you here in the states yet?
Prop

oil temp sender,--Hello Prop,Brad,I'm still trying to put the oil sensor into the drain plug hope. Brad, I'll have to get an example of a 3/8 pipe thread to see how it corresponds to the 5/8 x 18 strait thread of the mechanical bulb.I think pipe threads are sized differently.Were you refering to a mech bulb? Prop, I have a question for you too.Did you mean to say that there was a commercially available plug that just screws into the drain hole and then one just screws the temp sensor into this?---and are you refering to a mech bulb or an elec sensor? "Holden" in the UK has a great assortment of guages with the matching "British" look which I'd like to keep.It looks like the elec senders are smaller. If I could just get a 9/16 solid plug I could drill and tap it to fit the sensor thread.Any help would be greatly appreciated. SOmeone called me anal-retentive over this. I think it is just great detective work!Is anal retentive hyphenated? Bob C
chamberlain Bob

Bob,
mine was an electrical sensor a rather good ebay purchase. Definetly an NPT fiting which is a bit fiddly to drill into the sump plug, a proper adaptor one would be far easier. Mini spares do one, but i was too tight to buy it.

http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx?ty=pb&pid=33002&title=SUMP PLUG OIL TEMP ADAPTO...
Brad (Sprite IV 1380)

Bob, I installed a temp sensor in the sump on my V6. My take is that I want to know what the temp of the oil in the engine is, not what is being pumped back in from the cooler. I bought an inexpensive mechanical gauge and used a temp bulb adaptor fitting for a 1275 engine that I brazed into the pan. Item number 56 in this drawing from the VB catalog. http://www.victoriabritish.com/icatalog/sm/full.aspx?Page=40 Some gauges come with the adaptor fitting as part of the installation kit as well, so check the gauge before you spend the money at VB. The sender bulb for the gauge then screwed right into that fitting and sealed great. Easy to remove if you have to pull the engine or sump as long as the sump is drained first. (That's another story)
Adaptor shown in the side of the sump in the photo, bulb removed.

P.S. I'll guarantee that it's seen more heating and cooling cycles than Prop's has as well. 15 years now and counting. LOL


Bill Young

This thread was discussed between 14/03/2010 and 18/03/2010

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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