Recently purchased an Auto Meter oil temp gauge #3341 (2 1/8 mechanical). There mounting suggestion is to drill a hole in the oil pan and weld in a piece (yeah right!).

I have been told U could get an adapter that would accept the 1/2 NPT (I think that's the correct size) on the gauge sending unit, with a male end the same size as the oil pan drain plug.

Anybody have any experiance with this, or know what size/type adapter or where to get what is needed to do this project?

Can anybody tell me the correct diameter + thread pitch for the oil pan drain plug?

I would think that some place like Home Depot would have a female/male adapter--just not sure of the sizes I need. I have looked through the stuff at Summit, Jegs, and the Auto Meter at adapters, but nobody gives the sizes on both ends of the adapters.

Thanks in advance--want to get my triple piller pod installed ASAP, now that I know out how to make it fit (but that's another story!)

Craig

 

It should be 1/2-20. You probably won't find a bushing off the shelf that will work, but you could get one made. You could also check with AutoMeter to see if they make a replacement sender with 1/2-20 threads. Other gauge manufacturers offer a range of threads on their senders.

 

think i'd weld a fitting to the pan. i wouldn't want anything as low as the drain plug that might get broken off. if it's 1/2"NPT the drain holes isn't going to be near big enough anyway.

 

Thanks for the info guys!!

 

Good point........hmmm........anybody got any other ideas how or where to hook up the sending unit that does not involve pulling the pan? Is there an oil port somewhere that could be used, like the sending unit using an inline T, or anywhere I could tap in?

 

I have yet to hook up my oil temp gauge but when I called Autometer about hooking it up they said to put it in the port above the oil filter on the driver side of the block.Its a small 1/4" square drive plug.You could use a 1/4" racthet and some heat to remove it more than likely.I had the motor in already and couldn't really get to it with all the clutch linkage in place so I held off.When the new motor gets built and put in it will get hooked up.

IIRC that port is where the TPI motors oil pressure sending unit gets hooked up..at least in my '89 Iroc it does.