Fitting a temp' gauge - help?

Post by **peatbrown** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 1:50 pm

I am attempting to fit a temp' gauge to my 1968 moggie with little or no luck!

Can anyone explain in plain English how to go about it, apparently you have to remve a blanking plug from somewhere near the water pump and screw in the sender...? Sounds difficult, looks even worse when you stare at the engine thinking 'blanking plug' hmmmm.

Look forward to your thoughts and comments.

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Post by **rayofleamington** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:13 pm

Firstly, not all cylinder heads have the hole / blanking plug - but most do.
the plug should be on the side of the head under the thermostat housing, probably pointing out towards the drivers side inner wing.
These can be a bugger to remove!
When you remove it, you may then need an adaptor to fit the temp sensor, or get a sensor from an A series in the scrap yard that looks the correct size.

Post by **Kevin** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:36 pm

As Ray says its below the thermostat housing do you know what that looks like (dont know how knowlegable you are) its easy to find at the top radiator hose goes to it but

thinking 'blanking plug' hmmmm.

It looks just like the head of a bolt you may be expecting something different, someone should be able to post a picture showing its location

Post by **Cam** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 5:02 pm

The picture below shows a sender in place. But the blanking plug is in the same place.

The sender is the bolt type affair on the right of the picture with the electrical terminal stickingout of it.

Just above and to the right of the engine number (your number should be on a rivited on plate.

Post by **Willie** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 6:53 pm

Be careful, now that you know where it should be be aware that
it is a taper thread,i.e. there is no sealing washer required just
do it up enough to stop any leakage. The earth wire from the
gauge goes to this sender, the other side of the gauge joins
the pale green wire on the 'instrument voltage stabiliser'.

Post by **Pyoor_Kate** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 7:16 pm

Assuming it's an electronic temperature gauge. My lovely, lovely (heh) SunPro gauge (from their impossible to get all the bits for 'Retro' range) is a non-electronic, expanding air one (for which the technical name escapes me). In this case you get hours of fun carefully threading your oh-so-delicate pipe though the bulkhead (*after* passing it through whatever you're going to mount it on!) and then bolt *that* in.

It does actually work fine, but of course with the minor maxing out at at somewhere below 160deg, and the gauge going up to 250deg, then much of the range of the gauge is rather pointless

As brand new gauges go, complete with all the fitting bits it wasn't a bad price, hence I want to obtain some other gauges in the same range so that all my instruments at least loosely match.....

Post by **Willie** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 7:21 pm

I always understood that your'capilliary' type gauge contained
Ether,not air?

Post by **peatbrown** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 9:05 am

Thanks for the help guys, one more question. I believe you have to remove the sensor and gauge from an 'early' Mini, which ofcourse will then fit the Minor engine (?), I have tried nearly all of the scrappies here in South Wales and one had a late Mini and the gauge was part of the whole binnacle.
Are the gauge and sender available new, or is there another vehicle I could rob one from?
Thanks Cam for the picture 'twas a great help.

Post by **Cam** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 9:17 am

A sender from a Metro will do (available new from most motor factors). The gauges were used up until about 1981 I think in Mini 1000 models (or higher spec ones) not clubmans though. I had mine out of a 1979 Mini 1000:

Post by **peatbrown** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 3:23 pm

Hi guys me again,

Thanks for the help so far - I've located the blanking plug, and removed it without any issues!
However, I have a gauge which looks like the one found on e-bay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 99179&rd=1 which states it was fitted to an minor engine. The problem I have is that when I inserted the probe it is clearly too long (ooeer Mrs).

Is ie me?

It is identical to the one on e-bay, I'm confused

.

No body said it was going to be easy - but equally no one said it would be complicated either!

Guidence required if pos...?

Post by **Kevin** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 3:55 pm

That type is the Capilary type of guage, the one that is in Cams picture is the electric type, but I confess I though that both types of sender fitted all `A` series engines, I will have to look at my spare head to see how much room there is, unless somebody else knows the definative answer.