Mechanical oil pressure gauge install

[Jim-ME]

I just got a 64 IIa Rover which is ex-MOD and want to install a mechanical oil pressure /temp gauge which I have already acquired. The engine is equipped with an oil cooler which appears to be coming off the block where the gauge fitting should go. Suggestions on what to do would be very welcomed. Thanks in advance.

[a109]

Oil temp senders usually go into the sump in a special boss welded on the oilpan.
Pressure senders can be T'ed in to the connection for the oilpressure warning light sender.
John

[S3AIRPORT]

Oil pressure guage install

Ref the oil cooler fitting, this should be a "sandwich" plate, between the oil filter housing and the engine block. The feed for the guage on MOD vehs is either the oil pan (on late Ser III elect. feed guages) or in the oil pressure valve body . Where do propose to fit the sender for the guage?
Les

[Jim-ME]

I'm not sure what you are talking about as I don't have a shop manual yet. It appears that the oil cooler is attached directly to the block. I thought that the best way to attach a mechanical pressure gauge is to T off where the oil cooler comes off the block. What I am trying to find out is what type of fitting mght be avasilable to "tie in" and if this is the best way to go. I'm kind of old school and do not fully believe in electric gauges.

[luckyjoe]

Dual gauge install

Jim,

I have installed a dual (mechanical oil pressure & water temp) guage on my ex-MoD 109. Since the MoD trucks only have an oil temp gauge, there are a few special fittings you'll need to complete the installation.

Oil COOLER
The oil cooler is fed off the "oil cooler adapter' which is sandwiched between the oil filter housing and the block. For a IIa, the feed line should arc over the engine (behind the water pump) to a junction on the inside of the LH wing. This is where the oil-temp capillary sender connects. After the cooler, oil returns directly to the sump (oil pan).

OIL PRESSURE
The Mechanical oil pressure line should attach to the oil filter housing. You will attach the oil pressure line between the oil pressure warning switch and the oil filter housing, using a banjo fitting. You do not need to disturb the oil cooler lines at all.

WATER TEMP
There is a plug (identical to the sump drain plug) threaded into the front-side (battery/air cleaner-side) of the head, behind the water pump. You will need an adaptor to fit the capillary sender to the head.

Somewhere I have the installation instructions, parts listing and diagram
for this installation. I'll try to find/scan/post them...then you search by part number...

Regards,

Tom P.

[JimCT]

Easy solution

Buy the Wise Owl spin-on filter adapter, it has the ports for the senders you want, and makes it allot easier to change filters!

[luckyjoe]

Installation info

Here is installation info from my post on the old BBS:

>>>
OK, here is the additional info I have on the dual gauge components. The gauge displays Oil Presssure and Water Temperature. For Oil Pressure, a flexible steel oil pipe runs from the back of the gauge to the oil filter housing. The oil pipe has a swivel compression nut at each end, one attaches to the gauge, the other to a banjo fitting at the filter housing. These are the part numbers for the oil pipe, banjo fitting and adaptor at the filter housing:

279785 Oil gauge connecting pipe
502655 Banjo for oil pipe
502653 Adaptor for oil pipe
232039 Joint washer for oil pipe and switch (2 req. for banjo, 1 req. to refit oil pres. switch)

To install the banjo and adaptor, you remove the oil pressure switch and fit the adaptor and banjo. The adaptor has a oil passage to a female threaded end, this allows you to refit the pressure switch. Now, the same port from the oil filter housing feeds both the oil pressure portion of the dual gauge and the stock pressure switch (light on dash).

For Water Temp, there is a sealed capillary tube, running from the back of the gauge to a thermometer bulb at the end. This tube cannot be removed/disassembled, and you have to be careful with bending/routing it. You will route the thermometer bulb to a port in the front-right-side of the cylinder head. This is where I removed a blanking plug (since my 109 did not have the gauge prior). My blanking plug is the same as the oil sump drain plug. Since the temperture bulb has a compression nut and crush washer, a double male union is required to fit the temperture bulb to the threaded hole in the head. Here are the union part numbers:

218512 Union for thermometer bulb, Petrol models
243959 Joint washer, union to cylinder head, Petrol models

You will need the dual gauge and the above components to complete an install on a IIa that did not have the gauge prior. Rover offered a complete kit, part number 525590 which included EVERYTHING needed to install a dual gauge (including dash plate and every nut, bolt and clip).
>>>

I hope this will be of help.

Tom P.

[Jim-ME]

Thanks to all you have been a tremendous help. Jim

[TSR53]

Here is installation info from my post on the old BBS:

>>>
OK, here is the additional info I have on the dual gauge components. The gauge displays Oil Presssure and Water Temperature. For Oil Pressure, a flexible steel oil pipe runs from the back of the gauge to the oil filter housing. The oil pipe has a swivel compression nut at each end, one attaches to the gauge, the other to a banjo fitting at the filter housing. These are the part numbers for the oil pipe, banjo fitting and adaptor at the filter housing:

279785 Oil gauge connecting pipe
502655 Banjo for oil pipe
502653 Adaptor for oil pipe
232039 Joint washer for oil pipe and switch (2 req. for banjo, 1 req. to refit oil pres. switch)

>snip

Thanks for the posting - great informational resource and tips. FYI, *some* of these Land Rover part #s are in our new web site. Unfortunately, some are listed NLA from LR UK.

279785 Oil Guage Connecting Pipe
502653 Adaptor Oil Pressure Guage
232039 Washer-Oil Feed Pipe

[Jim-ME]

Call me crazy but since I have a water temp gauge in my instrument cluster even though it is electric. Could I use the dual gauge temp for oil temperature instead of coolant temp? This would greatly improve my chances for a simpler installation.
Jim

[KingSlug]

Let me help you out...

If you all ready have a MOD with a oil cooler, you should already have a mechanical capillary sender and a mechanical Jeager gauge. The capillary sender is at the front of engine, look at the picture you posted in the oil cooler thread, that little sparkplug looking thing with the wire wrapped around the thin tube is you oil temp sender it looks like it is above your alternator. Just like Tom said...

DO NOT BUY A AFTERMARKET SPIN-ON FILTER HOUSING!!!
Most after market spin on filter housings stick straight out from the block, with your oil cooler adapter plate this will run foul of the frame. Get a LR oil filter housing from a 2.5l late S3 or early 90/110, it looks just like the one you have, but uses a spin on filter.

I think you could use the mechanical water temp sender and gauge for a oil temp but remember oil runs much hotter than water you gauge will probably peg. My 2a 109 Ambulance has a oil temp gauge the normally runs between 40-65C depending on driving conditions and weather, I have had it to just a hair under 100C when climbing the Grapevine Fwy in SoCal. So I would say no... But LR did have a Oil Temp/Pressure Gauge out there at one point, a guy in SoCal has one in his 109 SW.

If you need parts our host does not have check PA Blanchard or John Craddocks.

[JimCT]

The Wise Owl filter adapter worked on our ambulance

THe screw on filter adapter worked fine on our '68 ambulance...just use the shorter filter to clear the frame, and it made hooking up a manual pressure guage a snap.

[KingSlug]

Why go backwards...

Why put on a filter smaller than the stock filter? Why not just get the correct part and put on a correctly sized filter. The 2.5l filter housing I am holding has 2 ports for an oil pressure and temp gauges, 2 larger ports for an oil cooler( yep, he could get rid of the hockey puck adapter) and another block off that I don't know what it is used for. The oil filter housing I bought was cheaper than the after market and follows the 3Rs. Come to think of it I got the 2.5L filter housing from Ray Wood of Wise Owl too.

[Jim-ME]

More things to consider. Once again thanks to all.
Jim

[Jim-ME]

Mechanical oil pressure gauge install

I ended up with a 2.5 L spin on housing, a banjo fitting and an oil line adapter. I plan on putting the electric sender in the banjo fitting and the oil line on the adapter. I still need to find a fitting which will screw into the end of the adapter and connect to my oil line which runs to the gauge. Does anyone have an idea where to look for such a fitting or know what thread sizes I need? Once again thanks in advance,
Jim