2A temperature gauge

On or around Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:57:15 +0100, "Splitpin" enlightened us thusly:

the very thin tube normally has a spiral thing around it. It's a direct sensing one which is what was fitted to older motors, a bit like the kind of oil pressure gauge that has a tube to the engine. You need the complete tube thing to the engine to make that work.

The thing you're wiring the elelctric temp gauge to is quite possibly a thermo-switch, which they used to fit, I think this was linked to either electric carb heating or to putting a "cold start" light on in the dash, which goes out when the engine's warm and you should be pushing the choke in. You need to locate the sender (if it has one) which should be on the thermostat housing or some such place.

This is true. Incorrectly matched ones will give odd readings although it's rare for one to go fully to the top with the engine cold if there's no other fault.

Anything that you have, whether gauge or sender, without connections and a cut off tube is scrap.

The choke (mixture control) temperature switch is on the top of the cylinder head at the front left (viewed from drivre's seat). It has a triangular base.

Thanks for that. I am fairly sure i am wiring up to the right part because the way the fuel gauge reacts. I did try wiring to the choke warning thing first but was put right by a mate. The engine is not the original so i think the sender is for a later 2A gauge that i can't find.

"Austin Shackles" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

The earlier Series 2s weren't fitted with temperature gauges but the non-elecrical type that you have been given was, I think, offered as an option. This is a sealed unit with the thin tube and a sensor bulb filled with a fluid which expanded with heat and moved a mechanically operated indicator needle in the gauge. It seems you have been given the actual gauge unit minus the pipe and bulb part that fits to the engine which is no good at all on it's own as Dougal says. If it has a 2A sensor fitted, the one with the flat push on electrical connection, with this you can connect to the later type gauge, but as the gauge will not fit the original housing, you will have to install the later type of housing with the later fuel gauge for which you will then have to change the fuel tank sender/sensor as it works the opposite way. It would be better to fit an aftermarket 2" dial temperature gauge and mount it somewhere else on the dash. If the gauge reads some way out when have it fitted, you can adjust by fitting another sender unit on the head. They have different resistance values and are colour coded for identification. As you say the fuel gauge fluctuates when the fan (electrical?) cuts in, it seems to me that you have another, possibly unrelated, fault.

Martin

Hi splitpin here When i say that the gauge went down when the fan came on ,it was slowly and i think it was just the tempreture going down as the fan drew the heat out.

I see, I misunderstood, I didn't realise that you had used a fuel gauge INSTEAD of a temperature gauge. I have some 2A/3 gauges (later type) if you want one but I think you will encounter difficulty mounting one in your clock (housing) and you can use any 2" electrical one of the type used in a lot of cars in the sixties which is probably your best option.

Martin

I fitted a lucas industrial gauge to my 2a. The gauge was 2"in dia with the facility for backlighting. It came with about 6-ft of capillary tube and the bulb fitted into the tapped hole in the cylinder head by the thermostat housing. (3/8" BSP I from what I remember). You should be able to get one from a plant repair specialist.

HTH

Paul