Hi everyone,

I'm looking into setting up a water temp gauge on my FC. Most people tap into the oem hole for the thermoswitch sensor. Is there a way to retain that sensor but also use a sensor for an aftermarket gauge(something in the form of a T)? Or has anyone ever tapped the plug of the radiator right above the inlet pipe?

 

No, you really can't use a tee-type arrangement...you need the bulb (wet) end of the sensor in an active flow, not a brackish deadwater.
There's an allen plug blockoff at the bottom of the front iron that's an excellent spot, if your aftermarket sensor fits. People also frequently drill the rear of the waterpump housing (that's where I put my efan trigger switch).

 

Drill and tap the water pump housing right under the thermostat.

 

they make adapters for radiator hoses. this is kinda what i have to run my electric radiator fan off of. just make sure u get the right size for the hose and also make sure it has the right thread. i re drilled and tapped mine though.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/m...UaAsq6EALw_wcB

oh and u can find them on ebay pretty cheap to.

 

Radiator hose isnt accurate. You need to be somewhere before the thermostat.

 

makes sense. works fine for a e-fan tho.

 

Not at all true, the rad hose gives just as accurate a reading as anywhere else in the loop.
It may take a minute or two longer to register on your gauge as it must wait for the thermostat to begin opening, but that happens @160° and most gauges don't read much below that anyway, so it's almost a moot point.
The downside to the rad hose location would come if the thermostat sticks closed and your gauge is unable to warn of an overheat condition.

 

That's what I would do/did. That way you can see the temp whether the thermostat is open or not.

 

Yeah I guess you're right.

 

the other way is to use the 1997 Protege coolant temp sensor, its a 3 pin, 1 for the gauge and 2 for the ECU. so then you can run the once sensor in the water pump and then put the aftermarket sensor in the now empty hole

part number is KLK1-18-840

 

So you're recommending I replace the water thermoswitch with the Protege coolant Temp sensor? and just wire one pin to the gauge that I'll be using. Essentially I'll have a reading for my OEM cluster and my aftermarket gauge. I would have to source a plug so I could rewire the 2 wires from the ECU and the wire from the gauge correct?

 

Im recommending you drill and tap a hole either next to it or in the front of the housing under the thermostat.

 

I don't know why this is such a hard concept to grasp. Every thread that pops up ends up going in circles about putting sensors in radiator hoses and the like.
It's just finding the proper place to drill your hole (mines on the front 'cause I probably did a no no and did it all with the W.P. housing still on the car). Drill hole, Tap hole, and install sensor. Done. Easy peasy.

I do like j9fd3s' suggestion though I don't fully follow how to wire the Protégé sensor up.

 

Not sure if you aftermarket gauge will work with the Protégé sensor. Different gauges expect to see different signals sometimes. IIRC.* And yes you'd have a functioning stock gauge and you're aftermarket one. You'd be using the Protégé sensor to switch the fan on which unless your car is an automatic you don't have anyway. With that said there should be a flat spot on the back of the W.P. housing where that thermo switch*would have went. Drill your hole there, tap, install sensor. Done.

 

I dont know why you think I'm not grasping any concept. Easiest placeto put it IMO is in the water pump housing under the thermostat. Wire running to the radiator hose looks like **** to me. At the water pump housing you can run it back with the fan thermoswitch. Did you see the post where I told clokker her was right? What the ****?

He asked if we recommend replacing the thermoswitch with the aftermarket sender. I know I dont recommend removing the thermoswitch. I recommend finding a new place.

 

You misunderstood my intention when I quoted you. I quoted you because I agree with you. I just failed at the execution. You and I are saying the same thing. I saw all your post and thought you are one of the few grasping the concept. . Funny thing about forums and text. Things get lost in translation.

 

that is how the Protege is, 2 wires go to the ECU, like the FC, the 3rd goes to the gauge in the dash. obviously you need the connector, but its not too hard.

i have also seen a pipe put in the block and then the pipe had a T fitting, and used two sensors.

 

i agree running it to the hose does look like ****. you can hide it under the part of the intake that draws air from the front of the hood if its a stock ait box which is what i did but now i TII swapped my car and its now in the open. probably gonna tap to the housing to clean it up

 

There's no context in any texting. I hate it. I apologize for being abrasive.

 

No problem.