just curious on where and how you would get a mechanical gauge installed on a s4 rx7

any pics would be nice
thanx guys

 

what sort of mechanical gauge??? what would you want to measure?? boost??? Oil??? The number of mechanics that rip off clueless RX-7 owners???

 

i just installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge in my 86. i don't know if it just happpens to me but the brass pipe fitting that screws into the block does not go in because it is tappered and ****. I had to buy a tap and tap the blcok in order to get it to fit. havn't fired the engine up sense the rebuild but i hope she works good.
Dom

 

I don't like the idea of hot oil and water coming into the car

 

use copper lines and you wont have to worry. . if you do it right and all the connections are secure then you shouldn't have any problems. if you have enought pressure to blow a copper line then you have some other issues. . i guess i just don't trust the stock electric after 18 years and mechanical seemed like a nice upgrade

 

sorry icemark about how vague I was.

I'm looking to install a oil gauge being that my stock one reads 0 most the time or some other variable number usually in the 30's

but no clue where the connection would be to hook it up at or even where to route it in the car

 

Check the connection at the stock oil pressure sender first. Make sure it's clean and secure.

 

OK.. the EASIEST way is with the adapter from mazdatrix

http://www.mazdatrix.com/b7.htm

Get an a-pillar gauge pod and copper line (use the copper its more of a PITA but it will last longer and is less likely to have a hole worn in it from vibration, etc) you'' also need a tubing cutting tool, like the ones they sell for brake lines (which is exactly what i use)

most people route it in through the grommet for the wiring harness on the drivers side firewall.. I make a small nick in the grommet and then fish the tube down through into the passenter compartment.... its helps to have two monkeys to do this... one to fish the wire and one to put his beak up by the pedals to see if its coming through or not and grab it when it does.

once you get the tube through... you have to pull enough through to get it to where you are going to mount the gauge.... take it slow, you don't want to kink the line.

the copper line kit willl come with ferrules and instructions.... just be sure to put the nut on the line and THEN the ferrule. push the line into the back of the gauge and keep pressure on it until you get the nut tightened up enough that it won't come out, then tighten it down all the way (don't king kong the thing, it has to be tight, but you don't need to put 100ft/lbs of torque on it, the ferrule will clamp down with good one handed wrench pressure)

I always wrap the threaded fitting on the back of the gauge with some thread tape before putting the line nut on as well. Thread tape should go on the motor connection as well.

 

For an autometer oil pressure gauge with its own sender you can use the stock sender location. You'll need to get a fitting with a 1/8" BSPT male side to screw into the block with a female 1/8" NPT fitting for the gauge to screw into. Hydrolic stores (look in the yellow pages) will be able to get you the proper fitting. Most only serve industrial customers so they won't be happy to see you trying to buy 1 unit , but you can call around and see who will sell to you. I also went to home depot and picked up a 2" peice of 1/8" copper pipe that I screwed into the BSPT/NPT fitting so that I could extend the sender out. Also from home depot I purchased a 1/8" female to female fitting to screw into the 2" pipe. The sender then screws into that fitting. You'll notice that the stock sender extends out to clear the block. The autometer sender doesn't, so this is why you need to extend it further out. I also tried using a "T" female to female fitting at the end of the extension so that I could plug in both the stock and aftermarket oil pressure gauges. There wasn't enough room so I just use the autometer gauge. It might be possible to fit both, but you'd probably have to take further steps.

Doing it this way will cost you ~$5 and you won't have to buy a pedestal and wait for it to arrive.

 

If you use copper tube, be sure to loop it in the flex area between the engine & the body.
Copper will work harden & break if the vibration is stressed at one spot.
That's why brake lines are steel.

 

man i never even noticed those adapters on mazdatrix before ...

thats badass ...

now if they only made a water temp adapter type deal i could get the rest of my guages mounted...

sweet ***

 

Water temp senders need to be fully immersed in the water flow to work properly, so adaptors that space them back out of the flow shouldn't be used.

 

You guys should NOT install any gauge into the cockpit. Spend a little more and get electrical ones.

 

I presume you mean we shouldn't install any mechancial gauge...

That's BS. There is no reason not to, and in many ways they are superior to electrical gauges (unless you're paying a lot of money). The biggest potential downside is a leak in a hose, but this is almost always caused by poor installation. I've run numerous mechanical gauges over the years without problems.

 

hot water does not come into the car thru a mechanical gauge, it heats a capillary tubing and that is how the gauge works.

your heater core on the other hand lets plenty of hot water into the car.

I have never heard of someone rupturing a oil line, if they did they probably installed it wrong to begin with, and like others have said- you can use copper or braided line.

 

Untill the Mid 70's most oem guages were of the mechanical type, the change to electric guages was NOT driven by a desire for increased accuracy or relailibility but rather by REDUCING cost and easier Assembly on the production line - on a moving production line it is easier to plug in an electrical harness than make up a compression fitting behind the instrument panel !