Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Seeking interest in an inexpensive temp warning device

Many of us don't have aftermarket temp guages and rely on the factory unit. The factory unit seems to have 3 stages: cold, normal and overheating! Like most Nissan temp guages, the factory unit doesn't start working until after things have gotten pretty hot. By the time you notice it, it could be too late!

A friend of mine has designed a warning device which wires into your water temp sensor and flashes an LED upon a set trigger point. We have trialled it in many of our cars (z32 300zx's) and it works perfectly. According to the FSM the temp sensor volatge appears to be identical in both zeds and Skylines so the calibrations should work perfectly.

If you are interested, Rob sells a completely built unit with basic instructions for under $50 + Postage Aust wide. For a group buy he will do around $35-40..

Compare this with anything on the market and you'll see its a bargain- especially when it's already been calibrated for our cars, comes complete with all required parts and has the complete wiring instructions all ready to install... Installation should take less than 60 minutes for the average driver. There are only three wires to connect (no wiring into engine bay required).

Rob has put a hell of a lot of research and testing into this device. It is a quality unit. With summer upon us, If you at all concerned about protecting your engine from overheating, it's worth a look!

Here's a reprint of his article below or visit his site

I've built a simple & inexpensive device and installed it as an early warning of potential engine overheat.

I say, ‘potential’ overheat, as the engine can operate quite normally in the 83 to 104-degree range.

Whilst most driving conditions will produce an operating temp around the 83 > 93 level, high ambient air temperatures, low road speed & air-conditioning may contribute to operation well above 93 degrees.

Subsequent loss of coolant at high temps or failure of the thermo-fan may cause a severe overheat situation to develop, as witnessed on a recent cruise.

The OEM 3–stage temperature gauge appears to start moving up from ‘normal’ around 105 degrees and if this occurs out on the open road, by the time one notices any change, it is usually too late.

I’ve calibrated my Temp LED to come ON @ 95 degrees. (It may be set within a range from around 90 to 105).

Coming ON @ 95 degrees provides a visual early warning, and if one were out on the highway at the time, would almost certainly suggest a problem! Around town, (under test), 95 has only been registered many minutes after engine turned OFF, as coolant absorbs latent engine heat.

The Temp LED turns on momentarily as one starts the car, just the same as the ignition/alternator warning light does, unless the engine was already hot (as in para. above), in which case it remains lit until temp reduces below 92 degrees.

If you are interested in knowing more contact Rob direct at [email protected]

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Latest Posts

    • Just trying to get my head around this. At 5psi of boost, you turn on your wmi pump, and then you're using a 3000cc injector, to allow flow upto the actual engine, where you have your 6x200cc injectors and a 500cc injector. If the above is correct, what advantage are you obtaining by having the 3000cc injector blocking flow, is this just incase a line breaks between that injector and the motor you can stop flow immediately? Or are the 6x200cc and 500cc less injectors and just spray nozzle?
    • Welcome! New member myself, but I had an R33 back in 2002. Best advice I could give, based on my experience: if you're running the factory turbo, be very conservative with boost. I made the mistake of just fiddling around with the boost controller and cranking the boost for fun, and the end result was my intake pipes popping off frequently from the constant deluge of oil that was being blown into the recirc by the stressed-out turbo, which itself was siphoning oil from the engine and farting it out both sides of its centre bearing (or something to that effect). If I could do it all again, I would have gotten a new turbo and had a tune dialled in professionally and then just left it alone! Funny you mention the metal shavings in the gearbox, as I had the same thing - the probe plug (magnetic drain plug, essentially) would come out caked with shavings. At least it was doing its job. Not sure if that's just sacrificial wear and part of the deal, or if my gearbox was shagged, but I wasn't abusing it. Enjoy the R33 - they're a dying breed, and if they weren't $35k+ on CarSales in Queensland, I might have picked up one of those again, instead of the 370GT I own now (though I'm loving the 370GT, that big 3.7L V6 just hits different).
    • Howdy folks. I owned an R33 back in 2002, which was thoroughly beyond my capacity (financially speaking) to maintain/insure, so we parted ways in 2004. Fast forward 21 years (to literally yesterday, in fact) and I'm now the proud owner of a 2007 V36 370GT. I'm happily surprised by how much power the VQ37VHR makes, compared to the RB25DET, considering the latter is turbocharged. I had planned to add a turbo at some point but I'm on the fence about whether I'll even need it (though I do love the sudden onset of extra torque). Any other 370GT owners around the traps, I'd love to hear about your experiences with this car (good and bad).
    • Perhaps the answer is... more jacks!* *proper jacks must be used.  
    • I NEVER think about using a scissor jack unless there is absolutely no other alternative. f**king things are dangerous, annoying and stupid.
×
×
  • Create New...