Re: 1978 85Hp water pressure gauge install
"As far as the temp gauge go's, I guess it would have to be an external sending unit that would mount to a head bolt on the engine?
I thought about inserting a mechanical temp probe into the thermo housing via one of the two thermo housing hoses, and then siliconing and clamping it tight, but I think that may pinch the capillary tube, and it might leak around the hose also. Any suggestions?
Maybe I'm just a little paranoid, as the warning horn saved me last time, and that's all that's needed."
The Z-bar connector for the temp sensor has been around a very long time and has always been effective; it puts the sensor in contact with the cylinder head cover surface and will give you a quick and reasonably reliable index to check when you are at the helm. It isn't the perfect accuracy of the reading but rather the fact that you get to know where the gauge normally reads when your particular engine is running well.
The temp sensor is a variable resistance electrical device and the connection to the gauge is a single wire. The sensor has to have a solid electrical ground with the engine block to function.
The problem with the horn alarm is that it does not function until the water temperature is almost at the boiling point, so that in very many instances damage is already done before there is any warning.
If temperature gauges were not significant, they would have removed them from cars decades ago.
