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Capillary temperature gauge

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:51 am
by Bill_qaz
Planning to fit temp gauge and would like to know is there an existing suitable hole through the bulkhead big enough to pass a smiths type temperature sender through,before I start drilling. It's an 60-62 mk3.
Thanks for any info.

Re: Capillary temperature gauge

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 3:05 pm
by geoberni
The big nut tends to be the problem.
I can't think of a hole that has the room to spare, without some effort.
I suspect many cars have odd additional holes they have collected over the years.
If you are set on it, I imagine you could, for example, disconnect all the electrics under the bonnet, feed the loom back into the passenger compartment, install the capillary tube and then put the loom back.... :roll:
Any specific reason you're going for the capillary type?
I suppose they can be a little cheaper than an electric one, but they have their drawbacks (aside from needing a large hole to feed through), for example some of them can have quite an excess length of tube to hide somewhere. It's quite bulky.
I fitted one many decades ago to a Mk1 Ford Escort, I wouldn't bother to do it again.

Re: Capillary temperature gauge

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 6:41 pm
by MorrisJohn
I fitted one to my last car and had to drill a hole in the bulkhead (or rather widened an existing one) to allow it to fit. As Berni says, there’s quite a lot of extra wire there to try and keep neat and tidy. On the upside, it’s a useful instrument.

You need a “TE5” adaptor to fix it to the where the blanking plug is removed from. See minispares if you don’t already have one.

Re: Capillary temperature gauge

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:05 pm
by Bill_qaz
Thanks that exactly the same gauges and I assume the plastic pipe is the oil pressure.
Are the two holes you drilled and grommets in your picture on passenger or drivers side of the bulkhead?

Re: Capillary temperature gauge

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 5:47 am
by MorrisJohn
Yes, that’s correct. They’re on the driver’s side, to the left of the battery as you look at the car. I like mechanical stuff, the less electrics the better :D

Re: Capillary temperature gauge

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 10:43 am
by Bill_qaz
MorrisJohn wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 5:47 am Yes, that’s correct. They’re on the driver’s side, to the left of the battery as you look at the car. I like mechanical stuff, the less electrics the better :D
Same with me live gauges rather than electric and like yours gone for the cream faces as I think they look better suited. Thanks for the info

Re: Capillary temperature gauge

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:28 pm
by jaekl
I passed mine through the windscreen wiper cable hole. I don't recall if the wiper tube needs to be removed, but I don't think so. The rubber grommet no longer has the thin rubber sealing the tube so the capillary simply passes through.

Re: Capillary temperature gauge

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 6:39 pm
by MorrisJohn
Bill_qaz wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 10:43 am
MorrisJohn wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 5:47 am Yes, that’s correct. They’re on the driver’s side, to the left of the battery as you look at the car. I like mechanical stuff, the less electrics the better :D
Same with me live gauges rather than electric and like yours gone for the cream faces as I think they look better suited. Thanks for the info
Depends on which speedo face you have I think, but I think the cream ones are nicest too. Oh, and my Minor wasn’t almost at boiling point…the photo was taken while I tested it out using a kettle!