How do you hook up a aftermarket oil pressure gauge?

 

if it is mechanical then I think the best place to put it would be where the sending unit goes (I believe you can get them to fit that spot)

 

It depends if it is electrical or mechanical. Autometer makes both. The mechanical oil pressure is inteded to be mounted outside the car on the hood(in your line of sight in front of the windshield). An electrical gauge is really straight forward.

1. remove the stock Oil pressure sending unit(right below the oil filter on driver side of engine block)
2. replace with aftermarket sending unit
3. attach connector to sending unit and run wiring inside the car
4. find a mounting point

5 you may or may not need a +12v lead going to the gauge, most of the time this is to illuminate the gauge at night, you can use a splice and go to the positve wire on the cigerette lighter

 

You may want to retain the stock sender so the idiot light still works. If you have a sudden loss of oil pressure you're going to notice the light before the gauge. Just get a T with the correct size threads and screw it in place of the sender, then screw the stock and new senders into the T.

 

alright thanks i just need to make sure i got good oil pressure cause the factory gauge is screw up

 

The only idiot light in any of my rx7's is the "Low oil level" , not pressure, the oil level sender is located on the side of the oil pan.

Im gonna double check so I dont have to put my foot in my mouth(about pressure as opposed to level)

 

Yeah, the only idiot light is for the level.

Do the jap spec 7's such as yours also include a oil pressure as well?

On my 86 and my 91 it only has an oil level indicator. that particular sender is on the drivers side oil pan, seperate from the oil pressure sender

 

****, you're right! I knew about the oil level warning but always assumed there was an oil pressure warning light as well. I never even noticed it wasn't there. Duh! This is the first car I've seen without one and I'm not impressed with Mazda. Like I said earlier, If you have a sudden loss of oil pressure you're going to notice the light before the gauge, so I think they're really important. I've been in a car that split it's sump on a rock, and the few seconds of warning provided by the light saved the engine. I see a DIY project in my future...

 

I have drilled it in my head to check my oil and temp gauges just as often as I check all my mirrors, I pay more attention to my oil and temp than my speedo! But this habit stems from experience(bad ones at that).

 

Get the Racing Beat oil temp/pressure adapter plate, and it makes it a lot easier to install!



-Ted