The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Where do you find information on ...?

As we upgrade, modify and change electrical components on our rides to make them both more safe and improve our chances of getting where we plan to go, I keep running into a problem. The FLAPS and manufactures do not provide the information necessary to change components. My main complaint right now is sensors. Changing from a bulb type temperature or oil pressure gauge to a variable resistance type is hit and miss, mostly miss. I’ve looked all over the internet for specifications and can’t find anything other that what cars they fit. Through a process of calibration I know the resistance profiles I’m looking for, but can’t fine the data for the sensors.
I often read questions on this forum about gas gauges with wrong sending units and other sensor issues. Where do you guys go to get information on sensors? Engineers who design engines must get that information from somewhere.

I've used a pot of water on a stove, thermometer and multimeter to figure out the resistance for a temperature sensor. A pressure sensor would be a bit more trouble.

And you'd have to buy the sensor to find out whether it would work or not.

My point exactly. I have a pressure manifold setup I can use. Also can do the hot water thing. Vacuum in is not in my tool kit. The problem is, I go see the kid at the FLAPS. Flip a coin and buy a ‘x’ type sensor. Go to the shop and test. It doesn’t have the correct resistance profile, so take it back. Flip another coin,and so on.

Hy beltfed and guys, on the older GM stuff like the water temperature senders used the same ohms range as the fuel tank senders 0-30 ohms, one tester could test the fuel gauge sender and the water temperature sender. Oil pressure senders were a bit trickier you had to know the maximum reading of the gauge in p.s.i. as one of the criteria for ordering the correct sender. As usual all the manufacturers used different ohms ranges for their oil gauges and senders and the aftermarket used their own as well Stewart-Warner used their own ohms range as well. So you had to use the correct sender for the gauge you wanted to use, not so hard to do when our trucks were relatively new, but now half a century later senders for our original gauges are no longer in stock unless 54 3600 could possibly find n.o.s. ones if we furnished him the part numbers. Classic Instruments website has some ohms ranges for the different fuel gauge senders they sell, have a look and you'll see what I mean about everyone being different, hope that helps.

Thanks 3B. Testing and finding the resistance profile or ohms vs whatever is not the problem for most gauges. Unless you go way back and get something like a “King-Seely” type. If one finds a gauge that suits the purpose and function then you have to provide it with the correct input to be of any use. Using off the shelf is, IMO, not the old school way of doing it.
I’m going to reach out to John Wolf. His company rebuilt all the gauges for the Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis. If he can tell me anything, I will pass it on here. Thanks

I called and spoke to Mr. John Wolf. He said that a company called “Airtex Wells” has a good site for information on oil pressure senders. I have search a bit and have yet to find the site where this data is stored. One of you computer jocks might have more luck. If anyone does find it please post as I think it will help someone (that would be me).

Maybe this is what you are looking for?
Sender data

Thanks much for finding the correct site Gord. This will help me and hopefully others in our effort to get gauges to read correctly. This data will be printed and put in my hard copy data file.