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Water Temp Gauges, what are you using?

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Old 06-05-2010, 06:07 PM
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Default Water Temp Gauges, what are you using?

You guys using aftermarket water temp gauges, what are you using (brand)? Where are you getting your signal from without replacing/interrupting the factory water temp signal to your MS?

I've got an autometer phantom water temp gauge that was given to me, its electric short sweep style and I need a temp sender for it but I dont want to interrupt my water temp signal to my MS for obvious reasons.

Help?
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Old 06-05-2010, 06:49 PM
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I am using a autometer as well i mounted it in the spacer for the coolant reroute
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Old 06-05-2010, 07:17 PM
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Omori because I'm better than you.
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Old 06-05-2010, 11:09 PM
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Stock, linearized.

Originally Posted by na8psi
what are you using (brand)? Where are you getting your signal from without replacing/interrupting the factory water temp signal to your MS?
On all Miatas 1989-2005, the dash gauge and the ECU are fed by two different sensors. In the '99 and later cars, these two sensors are in the same housing, but are still electrically isolated.
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Old 06-06-2010, 12:03 AM
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Joe, I just did a quick search under you name. Searching for linear, water, coolant, sensor, etc. and could not find a thread showing your linearaztion of the gauge. Not that I could do it anyway. Electrical moron here. Anyway one of these days you and Abe need to come up to the Bear, for some mountain biking. There will be tons of good beer, fish tacos, and you can do your magic on my car, making it super bitchin. Just let me know, I'll start grillin.
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Old 06-06-2010, 04:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Joe Perez
Stock, linearized.

On all Miatas 1989-2005, the dash gauge and the ECU are fed by two different sensors. In the '99 and later cars, these two sensors are in the same housing, but are still electrically isolated.
Im assuming the sensor on the back of the head near the heater hoses is just a gauge sender and not an ECU sender? If so can I just splice into that sensor with the gauge signal wire and get a signal or do I need the autometer sender.
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Old 06-06-2010, 04:33 AM
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VDO gauge. Extra sensor close to the rad inlet.
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Old 06-06-2010, 04:46 AM
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pix of the other sender anybody?
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Old 06-06-2010, 05:01 AM
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Lower left
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Old 06-06-2010, 05:05 AM
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I'm assuming your speaking of the brass adapter you have in the rad hose?
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Old 06-06-2010, 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Joe Perez
Stock, linearized.
+1. I ran it side by side with an aftermarket gauge for comparison (co-located sensors) and it works well.
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Old 06-06-2010, 09:41 AM
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VDO Vision gauge, stock sender location re-tapped to accept the 1/8-27 npt VDO sender.

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C
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Old 06-06-2010, 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by chriscar
VDO Vision gauge, stock sender location re-tapped to accept the 1/8-27 npt VDO sender.



C
ok so this location is not where the ECU gets it's signal then correct? Its merely a gauge sender only.
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Old 06-06-2010, 06:42 PM
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Yep, it only feeds the temp gauge on the dash.

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Old 06-07-2010, 01:00 AM
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I recently installed this SPA Design dual oil & water temp gauge. The water sender is in the spare port of the M-tuned reroute housing on the back of the head. If you don't have a pre-tapped reroute housing, you can use one of the radiator hose adapters, or a similar style of adapter sized to fit the heater core hose. Pegasus sells both sizes.

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The gauge seems to read about 10*F low once the car is warmed up, but it has a service menu that you access with the push-button (hidden away) that can supposedly be used to manually calibrate it. I haven't gotten around to messing with it yet.
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Old 06-07-2010, 11:21 PM
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Originally Posted by na8psi
Im assuming the sensor on the back of the head near the heater hoses is just a gauge sender and not an ECU sender? If so can I just splice into that sensor with the gauge signal wire and get a signal or do I need the autometer sender.
On an NA, there are two gauges at the back of the head. The one which is on the side, facing the intake side of the bay with a single wire is the dash sensor. The other one is nearly vertical on the water outlet cap that feeds the heater, and that one goes to the ECU. (On the NB, these two are consolidated into a single housing.)

The sensor itself is fairly linear, but you can't just feed it into an aftermarket gauge- the calibration is wrong.


Originally Posted by dstn2bdoa
Joe, I just did a quick search under you name. Searching for linear, water, coolant, sensor, etc. and could not find a thread showing your linearaztion of the gauge.
I didn't do a writeup, as there was already a writeup at the time. It's since disappeared, and like an idiot, I failed to document the process as I did it.


Not that I could do it anyway. Electrical moron here. Anyway one of these days you and Abe need to come up to the Bear, for some mountain biking. There will be tons of good beer, fish tacos, and you can do your magic on my car, making it super bitchin. Just let me know, I'll start grillin.
Put some 250cc engines on the bikes, and I'll think about it. Physical labor can suck my *****.



Originally Posted by ZX-Tex
+1. I ran it side by side with an aftermarket gauge for comparison (co-located sensors) and it works well.
Yeah, it's pretty good. I deviated slightly from the written procedure by actually bench-testing the setup and using a rheostat to find the ideal values, then mix-n-matching a bunch of resistors in parallel to find the perfect curve. This is how mine came out:




Oh, and if you put the sensor where spookyfish did, you won't get accurate readings while the thermostat is closed, as there won't be any flow past the sensor.
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Old 06-08-2010, 12:05 AM
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Ahhh ok, are they both 1 wire? I know there is a 1 wire on my 95 right near my heater hoses and I'm assuming this one is the ECU sender you speak of.
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Old 06-08-2010, 12:22 AM
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I am in for linearization? of the factory gauge
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Old 06-08-2010, 02:03 AM
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Mines connected in the back of the heads heater hose and the other hose that goes inside the firewall. I made a T from home depot and stuck the sensor in there.
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Old 06-09-2010, 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Joe Perez
not if you have a NB

first 1/2 of the gauge is warm up and operational temp. second 1/2 is where the needle goes after you start over heating
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