Location for oil temp sensor in K rover, wet sum, No apollo

[glasgow]

Looking for some advice please.

(car is 2003, K rover, 1.8L, wet sump no apollo tank, no oil temp sensor)

I am going to install SPA digital gauge (DG201) for oil pressure and temp. (I understand the debate regarding mechanical gauge but after very informative conversation with Charlot Elliot, I'l go for remote electric gauge).

I was thinking of attaching the temp sensor to a T tube on one of either ends of the 300mm hose. But just been on the phone with Matt at Think Auto and his view is there will be not enough flow to record accurate temp. He suggested two options:

A) changing the sump drainage bolt with a bolt that I can attach the temp sender to.

B) Adding a "plate" between the oil filter housing and the oil filter. This plate will have three outlets, one for the oil filter and one for the temp sensor. The third outlet can be used for the hose or just bolted.

Any experience with the above please? Option A seems "less invasive" and more straight forward. But would it make the temp sensor too low and liable for damage? (I am away from my car now and can't tell if the drainage bolt facing horizontally or vertically)

Any other options please (not keen for drilling). 

Thank you

Ahmed

[Jonathan Kay]

Have you got a picture of that sort of bolt?

What's your current ground clearance under the sump (in mm or fractions of a Coke can) and do you ever ground?

Jonathan

[revilla]

That's where you want to put it. Well out of the way of everything, no impact (  ) on ground clearance and measures the temperature of the oil in the main flow shortly before it is pumped into the bearings. There's usually a little plug in the hole which you need to remove with an Allen key. On my engines, I've used a copper washer and screwed the sender right in although it is a tapered thread so PTFE tape and just tighten it down to seal may be more appropriate.

[glasgow]

No pic of the bolt

 

As for ground clearance this is another story as i am still playing with setup/wheels and tyres.

 

Just want to know of someone has put a temp sensor in this location before...

[glasgow]

Revilla, which temp sensor is yours-SPA? 

[revilla]

No, mine is the same Caterham one used for water (I use one single gauge and a switch to toggle between oil and water temperature). What thread is on the SPA one? Is it the same? (1/8 NPTF springs to mind, but I think they are generally standard).

[glasgow]

yes 1/8NPT

[glasgow]

Can someone please provide a pic of the oil drainage plug in the sump. I need to see if it is facing horizontally or vertically. (hope it is horizontally). I need to order the kit today. Thank you

[glasgow]

And can someone also provide the thread size for the oil drainage plug please

 

Thank you

[revilla]

M12 * 1.5 and pretty much horizontal:

http://caterhamparts.co.uk/img/p/139-139-thickbox.jpg

[revilla]

I'd be very wary of attaching any kind of sensor there though. The number of times I've replaced that drain bolt because when I've come to service the car it's been damaged with contact with the road. At least a solid steel bolt can survive the impact. I think with a sensor in there, there's not only a great chance of regularly damaging the sensor but also a real likelihood of damage resulting in a sudden and serious oil leak, right at the lowest point of the system. Road contact rips big chunks out of a steel bolt, it will tear a sensor to pieces and leave your engine oil draining onto the road. This does not sound good to me.

[glasgow]

[glasgow]

Thank you Revilla for the pic and comment.

OK, won't use the sump bolt. What about the sandwich plate between the oil filter and the housing? 

[TomB]

Based on the photos - if you manage to clout the sump nut if it horozontally mounted, surely you'll be smashing your sump to pieces in the process. If the nut is hanging beneath the engine then I agree it would be bad place to put it, but on the side and tucked out of the way, sound a convenient place to locate it.  Certainly easier than the filter housing.       

[revilla]

Last time I caught mine was on a country lane with excessive camber, so high in the centre. Ground a bit out of the boss but not enough to stop a new sump plug sealing perfectly but wrecked the plug, took maybe a third of the metal off, left the bolt D-shaped. I've damaged a few. I don't see why the filter housing is seen as difficult, there's a ready made boss there specifically for an oil sensor, you just unscrew the blanking plug and screw it in. That's what it's there for.

[glasgow]

Looks like there is more than one hole in the housing.

So if the hole used in in Revilla's pic in post number "3" is in a tight place, what about the one in this pic. It is facing the other direction of the one revilla used. Can the sender be attached here? the sender will be facing down but I think it will be still not below the sump

[revilla]

• It will be horribly vulnerable.
• Shine a torch up that hole - they are often just cast closed rather than having a blanking plug.

The only thing that makes it "tight" is the alternator. That's 3 bolts and two plugs to whip it off completely and you'll have all the access you could wish for.

[glasgow]

I think I will just go with your advice Revilla. Hopefully I could have enough access. Mine is SV.

Many thanks  

 

[The_ASH]

Although expensive why not just install an Apollo kit which will give you added engine lubrication protection and as a side benefit an oil temp sensor.

Also, as an aside, on the Sevens I've had with the ability to display oil temp you eventually knew the oil was warm when it's pressure didn't rise sharply as the revs climbed, OR after about 10/15 miles 'ish of light driving.

[glasgow]

Never thought about adding apollo, How much roughly we talking about please?

Thank you

[john milner]

An Apollo will cool oil which can be a good or a bad thing.

I have also been thinking of fitting a temp sensor. To me the spare hole in the filter sounds ideal. If it isn't NPT any idea what it is called? It would be nice to get an adaptor rather than use lots of tape.

[revilla]

John, pretty sure it is NPT. I wasn't suggesting using lots of tape to bodge it to fit a different thread. I was simply saying that it is common practice to use PTFE sparingly on NPT joints. Proper plumber's PTFE tape is microscopically thin. The sensor feels right when screwed in so I think the thread is a match.

[SM25T]

I like the idea of fitting it to the available hole in the oil filter housing as shown in the photo above.

[john milner]

Thanks. I had misread the post. This sounds a doddle I should also be able to make use of the redundant pressure switch wire to the dash.

 

[revilla]

Yes, that's exactly what I did.