watoga
Member
Hello everyone,
I have decided to make this "how to" simply because I know many people have expressed interest in doing this - either because their current gauges/sensors are broken, or because they fancy something new and more upmarket in their car. For me, my oil temperature gauge was not working, my oil pressure gauge was giving low readings (possibly due to another reason explained later) and my turbo boost gauge was off the scale at higher boost pressures. Before we start, bare in mind that I am *NOT* an experienced car mechanic, so there may be much easier ways to do these jobs. However, I enjoy working on my GTiR and hopefully this will give you a taste as to what's involved when replacing your standard centre gauges with something a little more flash!
Items needed:
3 new gauges with relavent sensors
DIN-sized 52mm triple gauge mounting plate
New oil filter
Brand new oil
Basic tools such as spanners, screw drivers, soldering iron etc.
Some electrical wire and connectors
Approximately a day's worth of free time
Step 1:
Remove all gauges and sensors from packaging and make sure everything is present. Since the oil temperature sensor is very awkward to replace, I decided to mount the oil temperature sensor in the sump. This is made incredibly easy by the LMA-group making a replacement sump plug with a 1/8th NPT hole tapped into it (my new oil temperature sensor required a 1/8th NPT hole although other adaptors are available). If anyone is in the same boat, this part can be bought through:
LMA-group : (+44)(0) 1234 268213
Part Number : LMA120
Special Note : The sump plug for the Nissan Sunny/Pulsar GTiR is M12 x 1.25!
Make sure the new oil pressure sensor has a 1/8th BSPT (tapered) thread as that is what the original GTiR item is! This way, a direct replacement is easy. (Alternatively, purchase a 1/8 BSPT female to 1/8 NPT female adaptor, or failing that; purchase a remote braided line kit, like the Subura remote oil pressure switch kits that are widely available.)
Plus, find a boost hose in your engine bay which you can insert a T-piece into to read the engine's vacuum AND boost pressure. For example, if you have an aftermarket dump valve, the hose leading to this is perfectly acceptable.
Step 2:
Jack up the front of the car as high as it will go and secure on axle stands or something similar.
Step 3:
Drain the engine oil by removing the sump plug located at the back of the sump pan.
Step 4:
After examining the sump pan, it became clear that there was a large dent which deformed the shape of the sump pan quite considerably. Since the oil pickup line is located in the sump, any dents in the sump pan may affect the oil pickup, thus leading to a reduction in oil pressure (as mentioned at the start). After all the engine oil has been drained, remove the sump pan by removing the several M10 hex-head screws around the perimeter of the sump pan.
Oil Pickup visible after removal of sump pan:
Removed sump pan sitting on garage floor:
Step 5:
Through use of a block of wood and a rubber mallet, *gently* knock out the dents in the sump pan until the bottom of the pan is flat.
Better looking sump pan:
Step 6:
The oil filter is located in a particular nasty place, however this needs removed. Hopefully it will only be on tight enough to stop oil leaks but not so tight that it can't be removed by hand. If the filter is on very tight, then some sort of removal tool can be used. Fortunately I was able to get mine off without use of tools.
Position of (white) oil filter:
Step 7:
After removal of the oil filter, the next step is to remove the standard oil pressure sensor. This is easier to get at compared to the oil filter. It is a rather large sensor which can be removed using a spanner. After the sensor is removed, it needs to be disconnected from the rest of the wiring loom via the large connector block located a few inches up from the sensor itself.
Position of standard oil pressure sensor:
Oil pressure sensor removed from engine and sitting on garage floor:
Step 8:
Now install the new oil filter. In this instance I used a Champion C141 oil filter. Remember to add a little bit of clean oil to the oil filter's rubber surround to insure a good seal. Make sure the filter is on tight, but only hand tight as this will make it easier to get off the next time!!!
New oil filter installed:
Step 9:
Now the new oil pressure sensor needs to be installed. Screw your 1/8 BSPT sender/adaptor into the block.
New oil pressure sensor installed:
Step 10:
Re-attach the un-dented sump pan back on to the engine. I used some suitable sealant to insure no oil leaks from around the sump pan. Then, once the sump pan is re-attached, screw in the new LMA sump plug. Once the sump plug is in tight, screw in the oil temperature sensor.
Sump pan refitted, LMA sump plug and oil temperature sensor screwed in:
I have decided to make this "how to" simply because I know many people have expressed interest in doing this - either because their current gauges/sensors are broken, or because they fancy something new and more upmarket in their car. For me, my oil temperature gauge was not working, my oil pressure gauge was giving low readings (possibly due to another reason explained later) and my turbo boost gauge was off the scale at higher boost pressures. Before we start, bare in mind that I am *NOT* an experienced car mechanic, so there may be much easier ways to do these jobs. However, I enjoy working on my GTiR and hopefully this will give you a taste as to what's involved when replacing your standard centre gauges with something a little more flash!
Items needed:
3 new gauges with relavent sensors
DIN-sized 52mm triple gauge mounting plate
New oil filter
Brand new oil
Basic tools such as spanners, screw drivers, soldering iron etc.
Some electrical wire and connectors
Approximately a day's worth of free time
Step 1:
Remove all gauges and sensors from packaging and make sure everything is present. Since the oil temperature sensor is very awkward to replace, I decided to mount the oil temperature sensor in the sump. This is made incredibly easy by the LMA-group making a replacement sump plug with a 1/8th NPT hole tapped into it (my new oil temperature sensor required a 1/8th NPT hole although other adaptors are available). If anyone is in the same boat, this part can be bought through:
LMA-group : (+44)(0) 1234 268213
Part Number : LMA120
Special Note : The sump plug for the Nissan Sunny/Pulsar GTiR is M12 x 1.25!
Make sure the new oil pressure sensor has a 1/8th BSPT (tapered) thread as that is what the original GTiR item is! This way, a direct replacement is easy. (Alternatively, purchase a 1/8 BSPT female to 1/8 NPT female adaptor, or failing that; purchase a remote braided line kit, like the Subura remote oil pressure switch kits that are widely available.)
Plus, find a boost hose in your engine bay which you can insert a T-piece into to read the engine's vacuum AND boost pressure. For example, if you have an aftermarket dump valve, the hose leading to this is perfectly acceptable.
Step 2:
Jack up the front of the car as high as it will go and secure on axle stands or something similar.
Step 3:
Drain the engine oil by removing the sump plug located at the back of the sump pan.
Step 4:
After examining the sump pan, it became clear that there was a large dent which deformed the shape of the sump pan quite considerably. Since the oil pickup line is located in the sump, any dents in the sump pan may affect the oil pickup, thus leading to a reduction in oil pressure (as mentioned at the start). After all the engine oil has been drained, remove the sump pan by removing the several M10 hex-head screws around the perimeter of the sump pan.
Oil Pickup visible after removal of sump pan:
Removed sump pan sitting on garage floor:
Step 5:
Through use of a block of wood and a rubber mallet, *gently* knock out the dents in the sump pan until the bottom of the pan is flat.
Better looking sump pan:
Step 6:
The oil filter is located in a particular nasty place, however this needs removed. Hopefully it will only be on tight enough to stop oil leaks but not so tight that it can't be removed by hand. If the filter is on very tight, then some sort of removal tool can be used. Fortunately I was able to get mine off without use of tools.
Position of (white) oil filter:
Step 7:
After removal of the oil filter, the next step is to remove the standard oil pressure sensor. This is easier to get at compared to the oil filter. It is a rather large sensor which can be removed using a spanner. After the sensor is removed, it needs to be disconnected from the rest of the wiring loom via the large connector block located a few inches up from the sensor itself.
Position of standard oil pressure sensor:
Oil pressure sensor removed from engine and sitting on garage floor:
Step 8:
Now install the new oil filter. In this instance I used a Champion C141 oil filter. Remember to add a little bit of clean oil to the oil filter's rubber surround to insure a good seal. Make sure the filter is on tight, but only hand tight as this will make it easier to get off the next time!!!
New oil filter installed:
Step 9:
Now the new oil pressure sensor needs to be installed. Screw your 1/8 BSPT sender/adaptor into the block.
New oil pressure sensor installed:
Step 10:
Re-attach the un-dented sump pan back on to the engine. I used some suitable sealant to insure no oil leaks from around the sump pan. Then, once the sump pan is re-attached, screw in the new LMA sump plug. Once the sump plug is in tight, screw in the oil temperature sensor.
Sump pan refitted, LMA sump plug and oil temperature sensor screwed in:
