rbls4ever
04-29-2005, 05:59 AM
PLEASE READ WHOLE THING VERY CAREFULLY.....
alright first off i bought an electric oil gauge from summit racing(autometer). it came with a light and all the hardware necessary including the sender and a 1/4 NTP fitting. your gonna need alot of tools including sockets most likely a 10 mil and some others. also pliers and a 10 mil ratcheting box end. also 15 mil wrench. 13 mil wrench and a 16. also a set of vice grips helps alot. this is most definitely not for the light hearted. it took me a while to do all this right. but i did do other stuff as well like change my rotors and pads. if your not pretty mechanically inclined and this how-to confuses u then your better off putting the sender in the head. there are other threads on here for doing that. i remote mounted my sender in the main oil gallery in the line that is RIGHT after the pump and before the oil filter. basically i'll know if my engine starves for oil before it will. it is a very responsive spot and seems to work very well. honestly the process took a while because i ef-ed up and i was working slowly. i started at 4 on wednesday and worked till about 11. not straight but stopped then. and then from 1 to about 12 on Thursday. again not straight breaks and food and home depot runs. i also did several other things along the way. if i had only done the gauge it would have been about 5 or 6 hours maybe. maybe less if no screw ups are incurred. this how-to should help the next fellow trying to do this right....... :thumbsup:
home depot supplies.
go to the plumbing section with all the fittings. get a NTP fitting with the name A-778 on it. its a green top package and is a 3/8 to a 1/4 NTP fitting. this is what goes into the block. then get a A-30 90 degree elbow. it has a pink topped package. it has a 1/4 compression fitting already on the end. this screws into the block fitting. then get an A-16 1/4 to 1/4. it also has a pink topped package. it also has the correct fitting as well. this screws onto the 1/4 NTP that came with the sender unit. also get a small amount of copper ice maker line. all these cost about 11 dollars together. also don't forget the teflon tape if u don't have any. then go to advanced or another auto parts store and get a quart of oil(same as u have now) and teflon paste or pipe thread compound. its in a small tube. locktight probably wont work.
now the fun begins. lift the car on stands or ramps and chock wheels. under car look at a/c compressor. there are 3 10 mils holding it to the block. take them loose but don't remove. then take a 3/8 inch wrench and put in the square peg of the tensioner and loosen the belt.
here.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/ecf6854f3331b11f17454f028d3176d2.jpg
then remove the rest of the a/c bolts. u will feel it being held in by something. there is a 10 mil holding the lines to the hard metal coolant line its very difficult to get on this easily. i put both hands down there and held the ratchet with one and turned with other.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/bd17cccfeb89fa1cd0fc09a952d87bff.jpg
next go back under and GENTLY move the a/c compressor to the side and rest on the subframe/ power steering line bracket. move enough to see the stock sender and the plug. next take a 10 mil ratcheting box end and remove the 2 nuts on the a/c heat shield. if u don't have a ratcheting box end than go buy one. it will take FOREVER otherwise. take out the oil filter slowly to drain oil the keep upright and set aside. take out the plug in the block. it is in there VERY tight and u will have to lock a wrench on the allen key to get it loose. take the A-778 fitting and cover threads in teflon PASTE. DONT use teflon tape. it wont ground or seal right. u should be seeing this basically.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/7d4879b166c1f4ad26746a52d04355a1.jpg
here comes the part that took me the longest. use teflon tape on the threads of the elbow and screw into the fitting in the block. its best to thread the compression nut onto the elbow first while screwing it in the block so u dont mess the threads all up like i did and have to make another trip to home depot. the block fitting is a 17 or 16 and the body of the elbow is a 16 or 15. the compression nuts are all 13's. point elbow end towards driver side. then take the copper line and cut to length. put behind the headers/cats. above and around the top of the oil filter boss. then down to the fitting. make sure it doesn't contact block anywhere and is basically in mid air under the car. it took forever to get the bend right so the compression fitting would actually thread. you may have to adjust the position of the 90 degree elbow to accomplish this. assemble the 1/4 to 1/4 with compression fitting to the supplied 1/8 to 1/4 fitting on the sender unit. using lots of teflon tape on all the threads. it should go like this sender, supplied NTP, 1/4 to 1/4 with compression fitting. then take the nut and compression fitting and put on end of the copper line. you should see something like this.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/6f93d23da1aef8053de58009e600eb0b.jpg
the line and sender should look like this. copy bends as much as possible.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/b153bb240ae34a16d100f1930306c2c9.jpg
make sure the compression fittings are tight on the elbow and the sender. put oil filter back on. put some oil in car if needed. run sender behind dipstick tube and connect using teflon tape or sealant. tighten all connections and then run line so it doesn't touch block ANYWHERE and make sure it doesn't touch dipstick tube. it will rub and break. then zip tie to the coolant bypass tube on the top for rubber mounting. i zip tied the sender and rest of line to the line from my oil separator. this way everything still moves but its rubber mounted so no binding occurs. double check everything doesn't touch.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/3057f2fc1419f8debfe7bc3e84ca3858.jpg
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/aa80bb52753a82b5ffbd490fc96c58e2.jpg
top view
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/d0c897ffbc8fbbdae6b20194ba1b02c0.jpg
start engine with out anything back in place and make sure nothing leaks. make sure the end of the line where the sender is points down so no air can be trapped in the line. its best to do this before a oil change. remember any crap in line will be caught by the oil filter because this is before the oil filter. make sure no metal shavings are in the line. make sure there is ground on the sender. do this by taking volt meter and checking continuity between the sender body and engine or bolt. start to put everything back together once your sure everything is right and how u want it. put the a/c compressor back in. put the heat shield in. put 10 mil a/c line bolt back in. put serpentine belt back on using 3/8 ratchet. run a line (18 gauge) from the sender to the car. run thru fender into grommet in the door. run behind the dash. hook up all wires. if any questions on wiring just pm me and ask about it. i also put my light on the dimmer line from the head unit. thats also where i got the ground and the ignition positive for the gauge. most of the dash must be taken out so the line can be run. refer to how-to for removing dash. make sure everything is right and it all works. i also put my new brakes on at the same time.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/a7079d036f7828c0f20204fa1c4c468f.jpg
nice huh?
don't mess any of the compression fittings up, and if u do then replace the other end it screws to too. like i messed up the threads on the hard line to the elbow and i tried forever to get it right. i pulled it out and figured it was ef-ed so i went and got a new one .basically if u change the compression fitting on the same part it wont work again. but if u compress it once and take it off and put it back the same way then it will be fine. take your time doing this. you don't want to be back under there for a small leak or u definitely don't want the copper line rubbing though and leaking ALL your oil everywhere. also cut line with tubing cutter if available, if not like me, use a hack saw but make sure the copper is out of the line and its not covering the end on the line. make sure the cut is square and not too much line is sticking past any compression fitting. you will be very happy and proud when all this is done. my idle pressure at start is about 75 or so then at driving cold its about 75- 100 once it warms some it will get to about 25 idle and 50 between 2000 and 3000 above that its about 75 all the time. the point is really responsive. its very good and i like it alot. feel free to pm me about ANY install questions. oh and enjoy. this was a fairly fun project but can be a headache. a big case of beer would probably help but none was available at the time......:beer: have fun and good luck. :biggrin:
alright first off i bought an electric oil gauge from summit racing(autometer). it came with a light and all the hardware necessary including the sender and a 1/4 NTP fitting. your gonna need alot of tools including sockets most likely a 10 mil and some others. also pliers and a 10 mil ratcheting box end. also 15 mil wrench. 13 mil wrench and a 16. also a set of vice grips helps alot. this is most definitely not for the light hearted. it took me a while to do all this right. but i did do other stuff as well like change my rotors and pads. if your not pretty mechanically inclined and this how-to confuses u then your better off putting the sender in the head. there are other threads on here for doing that. i remote mounted my sender in the main oil gallery in the line that is RIGHT after the pump and before the oil filter. basically i'll know if my engine starves for oil before it will. it is a very responsive spot and seems to work very well. honestly the process took a while because i ef-ed up and i was working slowly. i started at 4 on wednesday and worked till about 11. not straight but stopped then. and then from 1 to about 12 on Thursday. again not straight breaks and food and home depot runs. i also did several other things along the way. if i had only done the gauge it would have been about 5 or 6 hours maybe. maybe less if no screw ups are incurred. this how-to should help the next fellow trying to do this right....... :thumbsup:
home depot supplies.
go to the plumbing section with all the fittings. get a NTP fitting with the name A-778 on it. its a green top package and is a 3/8 to a 1/4 NTP fitting. this is what goes into the block. then get a A-30 90 degree elbow. it has a pink topped package. it has a 1/4 compression fitting already on the end. this screws into the block fitting. then get an A-16 1/4 to 1/4. it also has a pink topped package. it also has the correct fitting as well. this screws onto the 1/4 NTP that came with the sender unit. also get a small amount of copper ice maker line. all these cost about 11 dollars together. also don't forget the teflon tape if u don't have any. then go to advanced or another auto parts store and get a quart of oil(same as u have now) and teflon paste or pipe thread compound. its in a small tube. locktight probably wont work.
now the fun begins. lift the car on stands or ramps and chock wheels. under car look at a/c compressor. there are 3 10 mils holding it to the block. take them loose but don't remove. then take a 3/8 inch wrench and put in the square peg of the tensioner and loosen the belt.
here.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/ecf6854f3331b11f17454f028d3176d2.jpg
then remove the rest of the a/c bolts. u will feel it being held in by something. there is a 10 mil holding the lines to the hard metal coolant line its very difficult to get on this easily. i put both hands down there and held the ratchet with one and turned with other.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/bd17cccfeb89fa1cd0fc09a952d87bff.jpg
next go back under and GENTLY move the a/c compressor to the side and rest on the subframe/ power steering line bracket. move enough to see the stock sender and the plug. next take a 10 mil ratcheting box end and remove the 2 nuts on the a/c heat shield. if u don't have a ratcheting box end than go buy one. it will take FOREVER otherwise. take out the oil filter slowly to drain oil the keep upright and set aside. take out the plug in the block. it is in there VERY tight and u will have to lock a wrench on the allen key to get it loose. take the A-778 fitting and cover threads in teflon PASTE. DONT use teflon tape. it wont ground or seal right. u should be seeing this basically.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/7d4879b166c1f4ad26746a52d04355a1.jpg
here comes the part that took me the longest. use teflon tape on the threads of the elbow and screw into the fitting in the block. its best to thread the compression nut onto the elbow first while screwing it in the block so u dont mess the threads all up like i did and have to make another trip to home depot. the block fitting is a 17 or 16 and the body of the elbow is a 16 or 15. the compression nuts are all 13's. point elbow end towards driver side. then take the copper line and cut to length. put behind the headers/cats. above and around the top of the oil filter boss. then down to the fitting. make sure it doesn't contact block anywhere and is basically in mid air under the car. it took forever to get the bend right so the compression fitting would actually thread. you may have to adjust the position of the 90 degree elbow to accomplish this. assemble the 1/4 to 1/4 with compression fitting to the supplied 1/8 to 1/4 fitting on the sender unit. using lots of teflon tape on all the threads. it should go like this sender, supplied NTP, 1/4 to 1/4 with compression fitting. then take the nut and compression fitting and put on end of the copper line. you should see something like this.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/6f93d23da1aef8053de58009e600eb0b.jpg
the line and sender should look like this. copy bends as much as possible.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/b153bb240ae34a16d100f1930306c2c9.jpg
make sure the compression fittings are tight on the elbow and the sender. put oil filter back on. put some oil in car if needed. run sender behind dipstick tube and connect using teflon tape or sealant. tighten all connections and then run line so it doesn't touch block ANYWHERE and make sure it doesn't touch dipstick tube. it will rub and break. then zip tie to the coolant bypass tube on the top for rubber mounting. i zip tied the sender and rest of line to the line from my oil separator. this way everything still moves but its rubber mounted so no binding occurs. double check everything doesn't touch.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/3057f2fc1419f8debfe7bc3e84ca3858.jpg
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/aa80bb52753a82b5ffbd490fc96c58e2.jpg
top view
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/d0c897ffbc8fbbdae6b20194ba1b02c0.jpg
start engine with out anything back in place and make sure nothing leaks. make sure the end of the line where the sender is points down so no air can be trapped in the line. its best to do this before a oil change. remember any crap in line will be caught by the oil filter because this is before the oil filter. make sure no metal shavings are in the line. make sure there is ground on the sender. do this by taking volt meter and checking continuity between the sender body and engine or bolt. start to put everything back together once your sure everything is right and how u want it. put the a/c compressor back in. put the heat shield in. put 10 mil a/c line bolt back in. put serpentine belt back on using 3/8 ratchet. run a line (18 gauge) from the sender to the car. run thru fender into grommet in the door. run behind the dash. hook up all wires. if any questions on wiring just pm me and ask about it. i also put my light on the dimmer line from the head unit. thats also where i got the ground and the ignition positive for the gauge. most of the dash must be taken out so the line can be run. refer to how-to for removing dash. make sure everything is right and it all works. i also put my new brakes on at the same time.
http://www.cougarimage.com/pics/a7079d036f7828c0f20204fa1c4c468f.jpg
nice huh?
don't mess any of the compression fittings up, and if u do then replace the other end it screws to too. like i messed up the threads on the hard line to the elbow and i tried forever to get it right. i pulled it out and figured it was ef-ed so i went and got a new one .basically if u change the compression fitting on the same part it wont work again. but if u compress it once and take it off and put it back the same way then it will be fine. take your time doing this. you don't want to be back under there for a small leak or u definitely don't want the copper line rubbing though and leaking ALL your oil everywhere. also cut line with tubing cutter if available, if not like me, use a hack saw but make sure the copper is out of the line and its not covering the end on the line. make sure the cut is square and not too much line is sticking past any compression fitting. you will be very happy and proud when all this is done. my idle pressure at start is about 75 or so then at driving cold its about 75- 100 once it warms some it will get to about 25 idle and 50 between 2000 and 3000 above that its about 75 all the time. the point is really responsive. its very good and i like it alot. feel free to pm me about ANY install questions. oh and enjoy. this was a fairly fun project but can be a headache. a big case of beer would probably help but none was available at the time......:beer: have fun and good luck. :biggrin: