Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

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Duckham
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#1 Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Duckham » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:27 am

Both my original and spare senders have failed.

The JEC matched sender / gauge seems not to be available.
Ken Jenkins says they instead offer an improved sender now, and I see SNGB offer 2 versions, presumably the more expensive version is also better quality although their website does not say that.

Does anyone have recent experience of senders? Are the more expensive ones worth the premium?

I do not want to convert to a wet gauge btw.

Cheers
Joe
1963 3.8 OTS

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abowie
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#2 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by abowie » Thu Sep 28, 2017 11:54 am

In my experience the only ones that work and last are original ones. All the repros I've used have been junk.
Andrew.
881824, 1E21538. 889457. 1961 4.3l Mk2. 1975 XJS. 1962 MGB
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Mark Gordon
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#3 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Mark Gordon » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:38 pm

Stay with an original electric sender and gauge and use a oija board to find your OP or convert to a mechanical gauge and be confident in the readings. If you don't like the idea of routing an oil line into the dash area, you can always mount the gauge on the bulkhead beneath the bonnet so that you can confirm or refute the dash mounted electric reading. (You can have both gauges active by putting a "T" adapter on the oil filter mounting or you can use one of the oil gallery plugs on the side of the block as an access for the mechanical gauge.)

After I mounted a Sunpro mechanical gauge (with a fluorescent orange needle) to my dash, I belatedly found out that Smiths makes a mechanical gauge that looks period correct. I've considered getting one of the Smiths units, but the Sunpro works so well that for now, I'm leaving it as is.
Mark

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#4 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Duckham » Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:51 pm

Andrew - I agree with the principle, but both my originals have failed and there was a 20psi difference in the readings as well.

Mark -
>I belatedly found out that Smiths makes a mechanical gauge that looks period correct.
That had not occurred to me. I assume you have in mind
https://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorspo ... sure-gauge
with the associated sender. It sounds very like the JEC offering.

Does anyone have experience of these ?

Joe
1963 3.8 OTS

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#5 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Mark Gordon » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:03 pm

No, that's an electric gauge, Joe. Can't remember now where I saw it, maybe on J-L, but someone fit a Smiths mechanical gauge that I believe was off of an earlier Triumph, maybe a TR3. The lister fit an new production Smiths gauge designed for one of those earlier cars.
Mark

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288gto
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#6 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by 288gto » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:29 pm

I've been looking at this....

https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p/sm ... auge-cb-op

I will probably also fit an electric oil pressure warning buzzer in place of the original electric sender. Available from Merlin or Car Builder Solutions.

Simon
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#7 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Mark Gordon » Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:32 pm

That looks like the one that you (and I) want, Simon.
Mark

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#8 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Series1 Stu » Thu Sep 28, 2017 6:29 pm

Hi

I used to pull the Smiths wet gauges out of 1960's fast Fords (Cortina GT's and 1600E's etc.) They worked brilliantly in specials and, if memory serves me well, they look identical to the electric ones in E-Types. Might be worth exploring that avenue?

Regards
Stuart

If you can't make it work, make it complicated!

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#9 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by mgcjag » Thu Sep 28, 2017 6:35 pm

Also being discussed on jag lovers now https://forums.jag-lovers.com/t/s2-mech ... ion/356980 Steve
Steve
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#10 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by mark10337 » Thu Sep 28, 2017 6:36 pm

I have the Smith's gauge - supplied by M&C Wilkinson. Very happy with it and their service.
-Mark

1969 Series 2 OTS, Regency Red
'Life's to short to drive a boring car'

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#11 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by 288gto » Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:46 pm

mark10337 wrote:I have the Smith's gauge - supplied by M&C Wilkinson. Very happy with it and their service.
Mark, is that the mechanical one I posted a link to? I too have been really pleased with Wilkinson's service and would rather buy one from them if it's the same.

Simon
Simon
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#12 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Duckham » Fri Sep 29, 2017 9:40 am

Mark Gordon wrote:No, that's an electric gauge, Joe.
I do want to stay with electrical - I seem to be in the minority but many years ago I was in a car that suffered a leak from the feed pipe on one of the wet gauges. You would not believe the mess.

Smiths Instruments are now made by Caerbont and I see they offer both the gauge and a sender that looks very different from those offered by the Usuals.
http://www.caigauge.com/product-instructions

Too much to hope that it is both accurate and compatible with the original gauge but worth the question!

Thanks all
Joe
1963 3.8 OTS

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#13 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Mark Gordon » Fri Sep 29, 2017 12:07 pm

I understand your concern, Joe, and I had and still have that same concern with a mechanical gauge mounted in the dash. However, with the generally acknowledged unreliability of the senders for electric gauges and considering how important proper oil pressure is, I think that it's imperative that you have some way of determining how much pressure the oil pump really is producing. Over the years, I've had two rather sudden losses in oil pressure, one in my '78 Spitfire and more recently in my E Type. Both times, it turned out to be a bad sender. Had I had a mechanical gauge mounted either in the dash or as an auxillary on the bulkhead, I wouldn't have had to worry whether I was ruining my engines as I limped home.
Mark

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#14 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by 288gto » Fri Sep 29, 2017 3:35 pm

Mark Gordon wrote:.............. I wouldn't have had to worry whether I was ruining my engines as I limped home.
Mark, that's why I like the idea of a separate low oil pressure buzzer combined with a mechanical gauge. You can get them that kick in at 20psi. Hopefully this would more likely alert you to momentary drops in pressure without your eyes being constantly glued to the gauge.

Simon
Simon
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#15 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Mark Gordon » Fri Sep 29, 2017 3:57 pm

The buzzer, if it's accurate--it's another electric sender, would give you the warning. However, when my engine gets fully warmed up, the OP on my mechanical gauge can drop down to around 20 psi at 700 rpm idle.You don't want the darned thing going off every time you come to a stop. Do they sell a buzzer that registers at maybe 5-10 lbs? Anything below that would warrant concern.
Mark

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#16 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by johnetype » Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:16 pm

You can get oil pressure switches - which are then used to operate a buzzer or light as you wish - across a whole range of pressures from 3 psi upwards.

The real benefit of a mechanical gauge is its responsiveness. Electric gauges that are as slow in responding to changes in pressure as the Smiths one in the E type is, are virtually worthless and that's before you consider their inaccuracy and unreliability.
John

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#17 Re: Recent experience of oil pressure senders?

Post by Mark Gordon » Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:10 pm

I agree about their responsiveness. I was surprised at how the mechanical gauge responds to engine rpm changes almost like a tach does.
Mark

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