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Autometer Oil Pressure Gauge Install

17K views 45 replies 19 participants last post by  wmf246 
#1 ·
So I have an autometer gauge that needs to be installed. I've already wired it up for lighting, now I just need to do the rest. It's an oil pressure gauge, I'm hoping someone here can shed some light as to where they tapped in and how they did it. Thanks.



The Gauges are in a DDM gauge pillar
 
#2 ·
I thing there getting oil pressure from above the header. I believe there's a screw you take out and add the sending unit. Never did it myself but seen pictures
 
#7 ·
#39 in that picture shows the stock oil pressure sensor location.

We have seen several different versions of how people have hooked up oil pressure gauges.

The easiest is removing the plug on the back of the head in the center. The problem with that is the pressure it reads is a little lower then the pressure at the main bearings. It will give you a oil pressure reading though.

The other way we have seen the oil pressure gauge hooked up is to put a "T" into the stock oil pressure location so that the factory sensor gets pressure and the oil pressure gauge you are hooking up gets its pressure reading from the same place.

The way we usually hook them up is to remove one of the 6 plugs that feed the main bearings. It also takes a special adapter to do and a little more of a pain to install, but we prefer to see the pressure at the mains.

Hope that helps.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I put in an oil pressure sensor a few days ago. I used the location #39 in the schematic provided. It is essentially above the starter. I worked on it from both the top and the bottom. I removed the starter from below, the cold side intercooler pipe, and elbow to the throttle body. That was the easiest way for me to access the top bolt on the starter. It's a pain in the ass to try it from below . . . at least for me. If you go this route, I'd be curious what you come up with. Once the starter is unbolted, it gives you access to the sender. Don't forget you'll need the 1/8" NPT (or whatever your gauge uses, and I'm pretty sure it is if it's Autometer) to 10mm (I believe, 99% sure) x 1.75 which is on the engine side. I used a socket to thread the adapter to the block, and a stubby wrench to tighten the sender to the adapter since you obviously can't get a socket over it, and there's no way you can fit a normal wrench in there. Again, I'd be curious what you end up doing.

Oh, and very concerning to me . . . after removing the stock oil pressure sender, no warning lights of any kind have come on. Shall we assume we don't have low oil pressure/level warnings? Because that seems to be the case on my car.

Furthermore, I while working on the car the other day, I noticed that my windshield washer fluid container appears to have a low level float sensor, with a harness plugged into it. Yet I have never had a low windshield washer fluid warning light come on. Has anyone ever had a low oil pressure, or low windshield washer fluid light come on?

I'm guessing quite a few of these sensors/senders are only installed because much of our setup is shared with other cars. And that something in the ECM needs to be reprogrammed to read/process/react those sensors/senders.

If you are going to replace the stock oil pressure sender, I can take a pic of that for you. But to be honest, it won't help, much of this will be done by feel not sight. Basically get under the car, find the starter, it's right above it bolted into the block.

And if your car is different from mine and does get a low oil pressure warning light you'll need HPTuners to disable it, which was what I was intending to do originally.
 
#11 ·
Good info, thanks!
 
#15 ·
Unfortunately I had a HARDDDDD time searching for this fitting. I took the plug off, and tried putting in the fitting provided by autometer in the package. Come to find out it's not the one I needed, the plug is a 1/2 - 13. So I took it to a local performance shop and they sent me to another performance shop. Went to them, and they sent me to Napa. Went to them and they sent me to Home Depot. AND THEY DIDN"T KNOW WHERE TO SEND ME NEXT!!!!!!!!!! (RAGE). lol I really hope someone can shed some light on where to find the fitting I need. Needs to go from a 1/2-13...to a 1/8 compression fitting to fit the tiny hose for the gauge. Any help??
 
#22 ·
I've read about low pressure (in tank) fuel pumps helping with power and what not, but then some say it won't make a difference. If you upgrade the lpfp to a higher flow wouldn't it put less stress on the hpfp?? Or do I just have to spend a ton of cash to get the cams? I am having low fuel rail pressure codes every now and then, when i go wot. Any resolution to this problem? I hate launching and having the other car jump 2 cars ahead because my fuel cut off :( Code goes away and car drives normal a few seconds after the issue.
 
#27 ·
So I am helping out a friend who wants to add oil pressure gauge to his redline. The stock oil pressure sensor is called a switch. My limited reading suggests that it does not actually sense pressure but triggers at a set pressure such that if the pressure drops below that setting it will trigger the oil light on the dash. I believe it also senses oil temperature.

I am sure that the CAN data does not include oil pressure on the Kappa which is consistent with the oil pressure sensor being a switch.

I read in another thread about installing in various holes in the head and motor and even one enterprising member who plumbed into the oil feed to the turbo to get a pressure reading.

Is there a good place where we can install a pressure sensor that does not require significant disassembly of the car to achieve access and which will provide a reasonable facsimile of the actual oil pressure?

Thanks
 
#29 ·
#30 ·
#31 ·
Maybe I am missing something, or reading more into the descriptions than I should, but the three options made pretty good sense to me.

1) Plug at the back of the head. Easy access, but due to its location the pressure you read may look low. You can still use the reading to detect oil supply problems.
2) Tee into the stock location. More difficult access, but will result in a more normal looking oil pressure. Will detect supply problems at the pump but not within the internal passages.
3) Main bearing gallery plug. Most difficult and requires a special adapter. Reading pressure at the main bearings will detect problems throughout the system.

Option 1 is the easiest, Option 3 is the best as far as problems it will detect, and Option 2 is the compromise that will give a reading that is closest to what you may be used to seeing.
 
#32 ·
We typically mount the pressure sensor in the port on the back of the head. It will read the lowest of any of the options, but it is also the last easy place in the system to read pressure. If you still have "normal" pressure at that port you know that the mains still have normal pressure and everything before that point is good. The pressure at the back of the cylinder head is pretty low though and we are doing a lot of testing on the 2.4L right now and typically see around 8-10psi when the oil and coolant are up to temp at idle and 20-25psi while driving down the road around 2-4K RPM's.

Hope that helps,
Dave
 
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