I picked up an Autometer coolant temp gauge for my car. According to Autometer, you have to use the supplied sending unit in order for this gauge to work. They insist that you cannot tap into the existing sending unit's wiring for their gauge to work.

My bros. is a licenced mechanic and feels this is a marketing gimic. All temp gauge sending units operate on the same principle. After all, it's just making a small needle move. The ECU even has its own temp sensor.

There's all these warnings with the gauge saying that if it's wired wrong, warranty is void, so I haven't tried. Anyway, has anyone ever tried just wiring their Autometer temp gauge to their stock sending unit?

 

i need to know too

 

you need the autometer sending unit for that guage. chances are the autometer one work diffrently than the stock sending unit.

even if you do manage to get it to work the readings will probably be wrong.

 

the autometer sender has a different shape than the stock sender....... you won't get proper readings if you stay with the oem one..... i mean, why did you bother to get an autometer gauge anyway....? so you could read the temp more accurately, right? so why the hell wouldn't you replace the cause of the inaccuracy then? just replace it already.............

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Team 4R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the autometer sender has a different shape than the stock sender....... you won't get proper readings if you stay with the oem one..... i mean, why did you bother to get an autometer gauge anyway....? so you could read the temp more accurately, right? so why the hell wouldn't you replace the cause of the inaccuracy then? just replace it already.............</TD></TR></TABLE>

Why are you complaining when I was the one who had a headache ust trying to replace/install the sending unit
for the coolant temp gauge I want to use!

I borrowed some 'Easy-Out' bits from my bros., but instead of
unscrewing the reaminder of my stock sending unit, it put a small
crack in my head! Lovely...

I noticed with the bit still in the head, it didn't leak, but when I
squeezed a hose, it would. With my dad's help I picked up some taps
and some Permatex 'Cold Weld' compound.

We tapped what was left of the stock sending unit and screwed in a
bolt using the Cold Weld as a thread sealer. I then went to town
with that stuff around the bolt head! Stuff's great! Suppose to be
able to handle 3000 psi and 2500*F. Overkill, but well worth it.

We also re-tapped the bleeder screw and my sending unit now resides
there (2 fittings later). Turns out, the machinist who put my head
together used some sort of Loc-Tite or something. I don't know why,
when all you need is some Teflon tape.