Anyone have an oil pressure gauge as part of their instrumentation? If so, is it mechanical (oil line to the engine) or other?
I don't trust idiot lights, and would like to add a pressure gauge, but want to do it in a way that is simple and does not screw up the dash board. I was thinking a combo gauge would be the best way, but I'm not sure how to hook up an oil pressure gauge.
Cheers.
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Interesting...
On my tach gauge there are two red "dummy" lights located at the bottom. The both come on when I first initiate the ignition key. The left light stays lit up when I first start the car while the one on the right goes out. If I give the car a little rev to get the rpm's up, the left light goes out. Seems as long as the car is idling above 800rpm that light is off.
Thinking that's either the oil pressure light or alternator/charging light.
Can anyone clarify?
Vintage Speedster 2004 build
Red light on left is charging indicator. It should stay off once you 'blip' the throttle soon after start up. Red light on right I believe is oil warning light. I think if the oil pressure drops, both red lights come on (I could be wrong on this, as I am doing this from memory right now), and I haven't had my car that long.
Depending on who wired your car up and where they attached the wires on the gauge, one light (usually on the right) is the alternator, while the other (usually on the left) is oil pressure. Someone with the various builder vehicles (Vintage, Beck, IM, etc) should help with this as to which light is which on their respective cars.
Other than both being on the same gauge face, they are totally independent and neither affects the other in operation. If the oil pressure drops, only the oil light will come on. If the charging circuit fails on the alternator (the voltage drops below 11.4 volts and it is no longer charging the battery) the alternator light will come on. If both lights come on you either have the ignition turned on but the engine is not started, you're sitting at idle on a hot day, or in very big trouble.
Try NHS they have a quad combo gauge that seems like it might be what your looking for.
http://www.nhspeedometer.com/356accessories.htm
Thanks for the link. I actually was just looking at that, as it seems the simplest solution. No need to drill more holes in the dash.
I need to find out from them what senders/connections I would need, etc.
Others have praised Palo Alto speedometer and I seem to recall others giving high praise to "Harmut" or "Hartmut" in particular...
Palo Alto and North Hollywood are owned by different Hartmuts.
North Hollywood = Hartmut Behrens
Palo Alto = Hartmut Mees
Did not know that a Harmut was at BOTH. I believe the Hartmut I was referring to was in context with a thread regarding PAS. I believe it was Angela Lane (Laneco) that posted the kudos. (my apologies if I'm speaking out in error!) I had all my saved favorites with direct links-they went away with the migration to the new site format.
Anyway, all info is good. Thanks Ted.
Pretty amazing coincidence!
Check carefully about the combo gauge, I looked into them last year at NH and what they told me was they are for original 356's and smaller diameter than replica versions.
I did check, and that's the word I got back from them. Too bad, as it's an interesting set up.
BTW, my Beck has the alternator light on the left.
Yes the Alt. light is on the left. Ask Cory....He'll tell ya!!
I got a dual sender from CIP1 and their electric pressure gauge. The dual sender replaces your single sender and one terminal is for the idiot light and the other for the gauge. I got them wrong at first and I got no pressure at the gauge and the light would not go out, just dim. Reversed the wires at the sender and both gauge and light work as they should.
To hold the gauge I got Airkewld's billet bracket that goes under the steering column and holds two gauges, in my case, the pressure gauge and a CHT gauge. Not cheap but looks good and no holes in the face of the dash.
You can send your gauges to either place and they'll rework them in any configuration you want.
Stan should be weighing in any time now...
Here's a pic of the holder, kind of hard to see. The gauges are at an angle so I can read them through the steering wheel spokes.
I got a dual sender from CIP1 and their electric pressure gauge. The dual sender replaces your single sender and one terminal is for the idiot light and the other for the gauge. I got them wrong at first and I got no pressure at the gauge and the light would not go out, just dim. Reversed the wires at the sender and both gauge and light work as they should.
To hold the gauge I got Airkewld's billet bracket that goes under the steering column and holds two gauges, in my case, the pressure gauge and a CHT gauge. Not cheap but looks good and no holes in the face of the dash.
If you're talking about the VDO dual oil pressure sender be aware that it will turn on the idiot light at 8-10 lbs, where the stock sender lets the light come on at 2-3 lbs. It could look like you now have oil pressure problems at idle when hot where everything was fine before. What a lot of VW hot rodders do is mount a brass adapter that has 2 threaded holes in the oil pressure sender spot- http://vwparts.aircooled.net/V...1-8-27-p/v240850.htm and use the idiot light sender in conjunction with the single pole gauge sender.
Good to know but shouldn't be an issue with my car as I installed oil restrictors in the cam lines which boost the oil pressure about 10 psi additional so now at idle its about 20 psi or so.
No worries then..
I had a tee at the engine block , used stock sender for idiot light and VDO sender for guage,
never had a problem with either one, Mike McCarthy
