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MG TD TF 1500 - Continuing saga of the oil temp gauge

Good afternoon all:

Because the Judson's going on [very soon, I hope,] it'll be prudent to install an oil temp gauge, I think - I don't want to see extended times at 75 mph on these long prairie roads turn even Castrol Syntec 5/50 to soup. This much of the situation I've already related, and thanks for the info as to where to find such an instrument.

I seem to have narrowed it down to a 2 1/16" Stewart Warner oil temp gauge with a silver-ish face and a red pointer - as close to the TD gauges as I seem to be able to get. Now here's the question: I can get it in both mechanical and electrical types. I know I'll have to drill the oil pan for either an electrical sending unit or the mechanical Bourlon tube [is that the correct term?] and it would seem that running a pair of wires from the oil pan to the dash would be preferable than a mechanical capillary tube.

But the electrical gauge is built for negative ground - what's going to happen to the sending unit if 12 volt positive runs through it? Is there a way to reverse polarity to the gauge?

At first glance, the mechanical setup seems to be the least problematic, but if the electrical sending unit could be made to work, then would the elctrical unit ultimately be the preferable gauge?

Electrical advice again, please?

Thanks, as always,
Dave Jorgensen

Dave Jorgensen

Dave -

Ask the question on the polartiy of the electrical gage of Stewart Warner. If the assembly contains any solid state devices, it probably will not work on a positive gound installation or burn out.

Jan
Janson Hurd

Would not an old single gauge water temp work as well...? Or would oil temp need a greater spread at lower temps (just thinking it would be a perfect match for the other gauges and not be polarity sensitive).
gordon lawson

Your comment is a good one, Gordon - matching the gauges is something I'd really like to do. The problem that I see is that oil can run at 200 or 220 F and not be stressed [particular the new synthetics,] so that puts a traditional OE water temp gauge out of the running - I think...

Thanks,
Dave
Dave Jorgensen

Dave,

Drill the hole in your oil pan drain plug (easily replaced later). As for a gauge, there's one on Ebay right now - white on black - that can have a new face put on by Moma or John Marks to match your existing gauges.

Ebay - 4608796333

Gene


Gene Gillam

Dave --- I found an oil temp gauge for "T" series. I believe it was an option on "TA's". Dick Little has one on his "TA" and it is identcal to the water gauge except it says "OIL" on it instead of "WATER". The problem is that the sensing fitting has BSP threads which are 19 TPI. South Bend lathes can't cut 19 TPI without special gearing. What you will have to do to get a fitting in the sump is to have a fitting made in aluminum, weld it into the sump then tap it with a BSP tap and get a fitting from Abingdon Spares. My notes say it is P/N 65-052.
Unfortunately the Abingdon fitting is brass and there will be electrolytic corrosion between the brass and the aluminum. Thats what causes the sump drain plug to become stuck in cars that it is not regularly removed from. You would not have any reason to remove the 65-052 so it will surely become stuck in the aluminum. Maybe you won't consider this a problem in your case, but at least you will know about it.

Dick Littles "TA" was on the cover of the TSO for December 2005. It was delivered from the factory with those cycle fenders and presumably the oil temp gauge.

I am sure that John Marks at Vintage Restorations in the UK could redo the dial plate to say "OIL" for you if you wanted. Let is know how you make out.
Keep E'm On The Road,
Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

In regards to tapping for a 3/8 BSP fitting, the taps should be obtaiable from British Tool Company at: http://www.britishtool.com/index.htm or British Tools and Fasteners at: http://www.britishfasteners.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc
If all else fails they are avaiable from Uni-Thread in England at: http://www.uni-thread.com/ Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

I have a Jaeger oil temp. gauge in front of me. The face reads from 120 to 212 deg F and it looks
the same as a TC-TD factory option water temp gauge except for the "WATER" is replaced by "OIL". It may be for sale.
Hugh Pite
Hugh Pite

Thanks Hugh - you can expect an email forthwith...
Dave Jorgensen

Hugh Pite --- Are you sure the calibration is in degrees "F"? All the WATER gauges I have seen are in degrees "C" and my OIL gauge is in degrees "C" also. Just curious, because I have never seen a Jaeger gauge in degrees "F". I'd like to get one in degrees "F".
Cheers,
Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

My TD has the dual water/oil... the water is also in degrees C and I would like F ... did they make the dual gauge in F?
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Bob:

Hugh sent me some pictures of the gauge last night, and it does indeed read to 212 F at the top of the gauge - and it says "OIL" in that nice Jaeger script, too. Direct match for TC/TD set of gauges, too. He told me that he ran the probe under some hot water and the gauge moved, so it seems to be working. We did talk about him selling it, so you may want to talk to him about it.

Because of the gauge's scale ending at 212, though, I decided not to go for it, and today I ordered a 2 1/16" off-white ["magnolia," whatever color that is...] Smiths mechanical gauge that reads to 140 C. Granted, it's not an exact Jaeger match, but I know that a pressurized engine can run its oil at 110 C or more, so I just wanted the higher scale.

By the way, I ordered from APT Instruments in Bloomington, Minnesota - the fellow at the desk was fast, friendly, and knowledgeable. No place on the net could find a place to order a Smiths gauge in Canada...

Cheers,
Dave J

Dave Jorgensen

Skip Kelsey has TC/TD oil temp guages for sale on his web site. Not inexpensive, but may be what you are looking for.

http://www.shadetreemotors.com/shadeparttd.html
Bruce Cunha

For the record, 212°f may not be high enough. It is quite common for oil to run at temperatures above the water temp.

Furthermore, you want to install the sensor at a point where the oil temp is meaningful; and oil, cooled in the sump is not the place for this.

I suggest you contact Bob Grunau in Toronto who races TCs, grunau.garage@sympatico.ca, for some help.

If I were forced to choose, I'd prefer oil temp to water temp, as it is much more meaningful of the status of a running engine.

With the excellent reproduction capeabilities of even low-cost colour printers, surely it would be easy to reproduce a new gauge face with whatever you want on it.

I did this for my Alfa Giuletta a few years ago - converted f to C. on a Jeager black gauge. Couldn't distinguish it from the original.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

Gord is correct. My Formula Ford oil temp can hit 220-230 F in a hard race (synthetic oil changed every race weekend). Yes this can exceed the water temp.

Tony
Tony Cove

This thread was discussed between 04/02/2006 and 07/02/2006

MG TD TF 1500 index

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