I have a Defi oil temp gauge that I am installing. I figured the easiest place to put the sender would be the drain plug, I had an adapter that looked like it would work but it is a little to big. Does anyone know where I can get an adapter to go from whatever thread a Defi sender is to the 14x1.5 of the drain plug. Or where has everyone else installed their senders?

Thanks,

Nick

 

You can buy the Greddy oil filter adapter that allows you to plug in oil pressure and oil temperature for your Defi's. They're the same thread also so that's a plus.

If not, I used to have mine in the oil drain plug, and it would read inaccurately. After hard driving, it would read 125 degrees celsius. Once I put it in the Greddy oil filter adapter, it would read about 90 to 100 on HARD driving(about 4 runs going from 1st to the top end of 4th gear with no breaks in between).

 

I just installed my oil temp guage recently,I also put the sender at the oil pan drain plug this is the best place because the oil is at its hottest.I am using the Nordskog digital oil temp guage, I just taped the drain plug for the size of the sender works great. You can get the proper drill with the matching tap at any hardware store.

 

Thanks,

I'll probably tap the drain plug for now, I thought about that last night, glad to see that is an option. Maybe I'll pick up that Greddy filter relocation when I have some extra $$. The oil pan would seem like the best place to have the sender to me though, since that is where the motor will get the oil it will use?

Nick

 

You really want to read the temp of the oil going into the engine; somewhere in the line that goes to the oil filter mount. You also have the keep the sensor in the oil flow, so you can't mount it at the end of a hose or anything like that (though such a setup is fine for pressure). I got a Mocal oil temp sensor block from Pegasus. I plan to splice it into my oil hose that goes to the oil filter mount. A sensor block under the filter would work also, like the GReddy unit, or perhaps one of the Racing Beat ones if you can make it work.

I was going to remote mount my filter and put the sensor in the filter mount, but I couldn't find room to mount the filter anywhere.

-Max

 

I tapped into the bolt on the line to the oil cooler. You can buy a predrilled and tapped bolt from Mazdatrix for this. Pretty clean installation so you don't have a wire going all the way down to the drain plug, plus you don't have to deal with it when you change oil. Mounting it close to the oil filter is still the best solution.
-MP

 

I bought a Banjo Bolt from Mazdatrix that went somewhere near the Oil filter. It replaced the stock banjo bolt with one that had a threaded hole to install my temp sensor. I am using the SPA dual Boost/Temp gauge. I had the sensor installed about 1 year ago. No problems. It is a relief to know what the temp is, compared to the stock water temp gauge. Watching the Oil temp gauge to up in the summer in stop and go traffic you can see that the stock Water temp gauge doesn't budge.

 

Whey mount the oil temp sensor in the inlet line going into the filter you will just be seeing oil temps that have allready been cooled by the oil cooler? You want to see oil temps at the drain plug where they are at there hottest after the oil has been flowed threw the oil cooler, turbo and motor.

 

Reading the temp from the drain plug will have error from air cooling and doesn't really tell you anything that useful. Reading the temp going into the engine will tell you what the oil temp is going into the engine, which is what matters.

-Max

 

Yep...I had mine in the oil drain plug and it always read high...then low...then high...then low. When I put it in the oil filter adapter, it read steady during average driving, and during hard railing, it would read a little higher...I average 900 c to 1000 c.

 

My car came with an oil temp guage as well. It was tapped throught the drain plug. THis made changing the oil a bit or a PITA. If you put it on the drain plug I would highly reccomend putting some sort of connnector on the wire so you can disconnect it when removing and replacing the drain plug.

 

There is nothing wrong with having oil temp sensor at drain plug, mines is very accurate and stays steady.But you will see changes as oil temps rise and fall thats normal as long as the sensor is in the oil out side cooling air is not going to change temps if any.