mechanical gauges

has anyone linked up a mechanical gauge on their car?

i want this type so i know the gauge is displaying correct readings but the cable from sensor to gauge is just under 2m long... for a kombi i will need about 4m!
my electric gauge is not 100% accurate by any means! my oil pressure gauge must have recieved a power surge through the gauge because now its rooted and displays jibberish hehe,

this is for water temp by the way. same applies for the oil pressure gauge i need also,

BTW im just waiting on the piston rings to complete the engine rebuild, then my v8 goes back together... i hate waiting for parts im so impatient!!!

cheers for any feeedbak

kevo

can't say I've ever seen a mechanical temp guage but my 2c on this is to get decent elec guages and senders. I've always had autometer stuff and never had a drama,I guess the only way to stuff one would involve the earth on the sender. Anyay ebay is your friend.

What exactly is your gauge doing??

as stated above ^^^ i would go for electric gauges with senders. As you have already found out the mechanical temperature gauges rely on a capillary tube running from the sensing bulb to the gauge and this is usually going to be quite short as most are designed for front engined cars. As for mechanical pressure gauges they are ok as they usually come with small flexible tubing which you can run the length of your car... that said i personally dont like the idea of having a tube filled with oil running from the engine inside the cabin to somewhere in the dash. if this breaks or leaks then you will soon have hot oil where you dont want it.

true blutopless2, (uh haha, you realy topless...........mmmmmm hehe)
maybe electrical gauges are the go,

my oil pressure gauge on accessories wil show no pressure that jump up to max pressure than back down to nothing than all the way right again.... then nothing... yer i think its fuct eh,

thanks for the help guys

hahaha.. im sure you wouldn't wanna see me topless...
there could be a few simple things to check on the oil pressure gauge...
check the needle has not come loose - as it may just be "grabbing" in places to run full scale and back.
If you can open it up and get to the bourdon tube and gearing then check for missing teeth or jamming mechanism etc.

Mechanical gauges are simpler to run and install.
Electrical gauges you have to make sure the sender and gauge are designed to work together and then you wire them correctly. They have the flexibility of being able to install them wherever you want etc.

if you are in melb i could check out the gauge for you at work and tell you whats wrong with it.

just because a gauge is mechanical doesn't mean it's accurate. Electrical guages are the go.

kevo wrote:has anyone linked up a mechanical gauge on their car?

i want this type so i know the gauge is displaying correct readings but the cable from sensor to gauge is just under 2m long... for a kombi i will need about 4m!
my electric gauge is not 100% accurate by any means! my oil pressure gauge must have recieved a power surge through the gauge because now its rooted and displays jibberish hehe,

this is for water temp by the way. same applies for the oil pressure gauge i need also,

BTW im just waiting on the piston rings to complete the engine rebuild, then my v8 goes back together... i hate waiting for parts im so impatient!!!

cheers for any feeedbak

kevo

A mechanical oil pressure guage can be extended simply by adding the appropriate tubing and fittings. Mechanical temperature guages have a sealed bulb and capillary tube that cannot be extended. They have to be used in the length supplied. Perhaps a truck supplier might be able to get a suitable guage.

Personally, I'd stick with quality electrical instruments. They are just as accurate as their mechanical counterparts.

George