Anyone installed a Water Temp Gauge?

2L8IWON

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My buddy told me that you take out one of the bolts on the black rail that runs in front of the alternator and replace it with the bolt and sensor form the kit. Does anyone have any directions or can confirm how to do this?


Thanks
- Jess
 

svtruck

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You remove the fill cap/plug that is screwed into the coolant cross over pipe on the front of the motor (the thing you're calling "the black rail that runs in front of the alternator"). The adapter that Autometer supplies isn't the exact right thread pitch...but I have found in my experience that if you load up with several layers of teflon tape and tighten it down pretty good, it won't leak...mine doesn't.
 

2L8IWON

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svtruck said:
You remove the fill cap/plug that is screwed into the coolant cross over pipe on the front of the motor (the thing you're calling "the black rail that runs in front of the alternator"). The adapter that Autometer supplies isn't the exact right thread pitch...but I have found in my experience that if you load up with several layers of teflon tape and tighten it down pretty good, it won't leak...mine doesn't.

Thanks, I've noticed that there are 3-4 fill caps, which one did you use? My buddy suggested the one on the drivers side on the under side of the cross over pipe.

Thanks to a Fellow Mystic!
 

Tabres

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2L8IWON said:
Thanks, I've noticed that there are 3-4 fill caps, which one did you use? My buddy suggested the one on the drivers side on the under side of the cross over pipe.

Thanks to a Fellow Mystic!

I used the one on the passanger side under the cross over pipe. Just used a t-fitting so I could keep the stock sending unit plugged in, in addition to the Autometer sending unit.
 

1QIK-SNK

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the adaptor the auto meter sent me i put it in the back side of the cross over tube. you take out the adaptor(stock piece) that has only 1 wire. then you replace it with the new one.
 

Tabres

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svtruck said:
Guess I'm lazy...I just plugged it right in on top! I'll move it later.

I was going to do that too but I didn't feel comfortable wrapping it with gobs and gobs of plumbers tape and didn't want to buy the $30 adapter...
 

svtruck

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So I can screw it right into the stock coolant temperature sensor location with the adapter included from Autometer?
 

97NA_Cobra

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If you do that make sure you put it into the one on the drivers side, thats for the instrument cluster (if you don't use a t, the guage on the cluster will not work, obviously). The sensor on the passenger side is for the pcm, and I didn't feel like messing with that. I used the fill plug location. It's a lot easier (no loss of coolant), and I like to have the stock guage as a reference. The cobalt guage I have came with several adapters and one of them fit, I've never had any issues past that.
 

FindemorGrindem

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If you tee off the stock location and run both, neither will be in the direct flow of coolant and temperatures will not be "as accurate". I welded another bung on mine. If you put the sensor up top, you have to "f" with it everytime you change or flush coolant in order to burp the system of bubbles.
 

2L8IWON

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Thanks for the inputs, this is the most feed back that I've gotten on a tech question. So it looks like I will place this on the underside of the drivers tube. The next question is how did you run your line inside the car? I looked at where the A pillar meets with the dash and there doesn't seem to be enough space to fit the sending unit and "AN" fitting.

So for the stock blue fitting I just wrap the heck out of it with plumbers tape and it will fit just fine? With no leaking?

Thanks again guys. This weekend the Mystic gets a new boost and water temp gauges, 4.10s (3.73s for sale by the way) and a Raptor. And to think I leave for the Sand Box in a few weeks, oh well at least my baby will have some new toys for when I'm gone.
 

FindemorGrindem

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Mine is a 98 and only has 3 fittings. 2 on each side as it enters the head (sensors) and one on top to fill w/ coolant. Thats why I welded another bung to it. You should get an electrical guage and all you have to do is mount the sender in the tube and run a wire to ground, ignition, to the sender, and to your running lights if you want it to light up. By your last question about running the sender throught the pillar it makes me think you got a mechanical guage, in which case the sender will probably be too deep to fit in the tube without some crazy adapters and such. The sender with the electrical gauge is much shorther and easier to work with and only has an electrical connection back to the gauge...hope this helps.
 

2L8IWON

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So the mechanical gauge won't fit? That is the one that I bought, I might have to go buy and electrical gauge, if I what other fittings do I need to make this work?
 

1QIK-SNK

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2L8IWON said:
So the mechanical gauge won't fit? That is the one that I bought, I might have to go buy and electrical gauge, if I what other fittings do I need to make this work?

the one i put on my car was electricial and it screwd right in. i piece adaptor.
 

2L8IWON

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Thanks to everyone for the help. I did buy an mechainical gauge and FINALLY got it installed. I ran the cable down the A Pillar, under the dash and through the firewall. I removed the door weather stripping and hide the cable in there.

All I had to do was buy a 3/8 adaptor and installed it under the cross over pipe on the dirvers side. This is where the stock cluster reads from.

Not a bad install and I am happy with results.
 

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