how to stabilise one's Volts

[Onne]

I have fitted an electronic temp gauge. But my voltage is 11,9V at idle and 13,5V when revved. How do I solve this problem?

My gauge now reads 75 degrees at idle, and jumps to 90 when I rev the engine.

I haven't got a stabiliser on the back of my speedo, sinc eit's a humble series II

Onne

[Packedup]

Step one, buy a stabiliser.
Step two, fit it.

It's really not tricky, you really do need to just find one (you can get modern electronic ones built in old style cases for not a lot of money), find somewhere to fit it (back of the speedo would work fine I imagine), and run a feed from the ign switched fused live into it, with a line out to the temp guage.

Can't see you'll have trouble finding one, assuming you've got lots of Minis over there then going into the motor factors and asking for a Mini one (no, not the abominable Mini "One"! ;) ) would possibly be the easiest solution

[Onne]

I'll give that a try, thank you.
about the Mini one,
let's not mention ze war

[bmcecosse]

I think you'll get away with it !

You should look for a nice DC to DC converter which will give steady output volts. The standard Minor unit may not work with your electronic thing (in a Series II !!) - it's designed to work with 'hot wire' instruments that don't mind the click on/off of the standard bi-metal unit. Do you have Maplin ? Try them.

[Onne]

I'll have a look round. Do the modern Minors have a voltage stabiliser fitted as standard?

[Packedup]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Semiconductor-Vol ... dZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SOLID-STATE-VOLTA ... dZViewItem

As you'll be hiding it behind the dash then I suppose it doesn't really matter they look a bit, erm, functional...

Not sure where you'd get the same as above built into an original casing, but such things do exist.

As far as I know later Minors had the bi-metallic ones as standard (post 63?), screwed to the back of the speedo.

(I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it)

[lowedb]

An electronic temp gauge should have the regulator built in. You might find the problem is engine earthing. If the gauge earth is on the body, and the sensor earth on the engine, any voltage difference (caused by charging for example) causes an offset.

Is the gauge off anothjer car, or an accessory?

[Onne]

it is an accessory. Car is -ve earth, the gauge is earthed through both the body and an extra earth wire, the latter might just be for the light though

[lowedb]

Well as an accessory, it should have voltage stabilisation built in then.

With the engine running, check the voltage difference bewteen the engine block (where the sensor is screwed in) and the ground of the gauge. There should be almost no difference. If there is anything much, double check your engine earth strap at both ends.

If it's still a problem, you could earth the gauge to the engine BUT make sure you don't earth it to the car body as well, otherwise if the engine earth ever fails or does go high resistance, you'll try to earth the starter motor and dynamo/alternator via that eeny weeny little black wire. It will then glow bright red (for a very short time).

both the body and an extra earth wire, the latter might just be for the light though

More likely if they are separate inside (which is possible, check with a meter) that the body of the gauge is the earth for the lamp, and the wire the earth for the gauge, so you can connect it to the engine to stop this problem.

[Packedup]

Well as an accessory, it should have voltage stabilisation built in then.

I never knew that

Although is that the case for all aftermarket guages, or just some?

Cause it really does sound like a lack of stabiliser fault to me, that would be cured with a ten quid thingymagig