Has anybody used this adapter? I'm looking to finish my water temp gauge install, and have read the various ways to install the aftermarket sensors with these gauges. Well, I ran across this site that has an adapter that you put inline. Check it out and let me know what you think.

http://www.iscracing.net/2nd_Gen_Parts.htm

it's a little ways down on the left.

 

Looks alright, an adapter is just a tube with a bolt welded on top of it though, nothing work spending my hard earn money on.

Here's the one I made:

 

Its real easy to just take off the thermostat housing and drill it, just be sure to use a Pipe tap (which can be hard to find) but it worked perfect for me.

 

I didn't have the right tap lol, the only thing close still was a bit slack so I decided to go the adapter route.

 

Before the thermostat is the ideal spot to locate it.

If you can't do that then as close as possible to it.

 

I had to fit mine under the airbox, that was the only long enough piece of straight hose. Is it too far?

 

I wouldn't use that adapter as it is after the thermostat. For one, you can't see the temps until it opens. Second, and more importantly, you won't know if the t-stat fails from your coolant temps.
Here is how I did it: https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/how-cheap-easy-way-effectively-mount-aftermarket-temp-sensors-639873/
The first part is kinda experimenting, but I figured out how to do it farther down the thread.

 

Just drill and tap the water pump housing. You want to know if the thermostat is dead, and it'll react faster. I just did mine this weekend and it's not that hard. Just get a 1/8-27 NPT tap (that's what most electric senders are, check first), you should be able to find it at a good hardware store, and many tap sets (including metric ones) have them in there already. I'd say if that was all I was doing, maybe 4 hours start to finish to get the sender in there (have to get at it first, that's the hard part). There's a nice flat spot right under the factory ECU sender that'll put the sender nicely into the flow.

 

I used a water temp adapter from Racing beat that fits into the heater hose that comes off the block near the oil filter. Also used their oil pressure adapter that sits between the oil filter and the pedestal. Water temp adapter part # is Part Number: 11493 from racing beat.

 

Far be it for me to tell RB how to do anytbing..........but why not. That won't work right. There. I said it.

It won't work right because there is NO flow through that hose if the heater is in the OFF positon. No flow means it's dead ended and won't display the water temp right.

And as for a post above where the guy suggested he installed the sender in the hose under the airbox.........ain't no good. That's the RETURN line from the radiator. It's cooled water, not the water in the engine block. That applys IF I understood what he meant by UNDER THE AIRBOX. If not, disregard.

By the way. IN the past I have installed a water temp sender in that heater hose and know the results. I've also misheadedly installed one where the drain plug on the front housing is. That is another dead headed water passage with NO flow so the reading is WRONG.

Presently I use the RTEK2.0 for water temp. It uses the waterthermo sensor output. ABout as good as it gets, plus I have the stock gauge that still functions to let me know if something gross is amiss.

 

Harris speed racing in PA sells a 1/8" NPT tap and proper drill bit for $25 shipped.

 

My sensor is on the upper radiator hose, right under the airbox. I know it isn't the ideal location but IMO anywhere in the cooling system is fine. Even in the coldest place in the system the temps are proportionnal to the rest of the cooling system. You simply have lower readings. The only advantage to running a sensor before the thermostat is that if it fails then you will have enough reaction time. Just use a new thermostat or none at all and this isn't much of a concern.

 

*****My sensor is on the upper radiator hose, right under the airbox. I know it isn't the ideal location *************

I've done that same thing before. Seemed ok to me. I mean, you still have the stock gauge to tell you if the thermostat didn't open.

Now NZ will rag on you for that placement of the sender, but it worked plenty fine for me. I guess the upper radiator hose is sorta under the air filter.

I just got a piece of pipe and used plumbers solder to solder in a female fitting for the male sender. I had to add a gnd wire to that piece of metal for a gnd.

 

Need to add some additional explanation here, I use this in a track only car with this hose routed directly back to the radiator so there is flow all the time, there is no heater in this car. Did not think about the lack of flow when there really is a heater core involved so good point there.