Correct Thermostat Operating Temperature

[Mybowlcut]

You need a sender the same brand as the gauge you are buying. You should be able to get a speco 2 inch gauge, with sender and mounting bits for under 50 dollars. Do not under any circumstances put any faith in the standard gauges after all these years. Even with a radiator chocked full of grass seed after half an hour in the paddock, my old beige paddock ke never gets over 3/4, which is a bit worrying.

 

You don't have to have a 10 inch monster temp gauge with flashing neons if your worried about rice, just low mount a small one and you will have the info required. I dare say you will realise that you have no cooling issues at all.

I've arranged to get it looked at by an electrician so hopefully it'll be the sender. If it is the gauge, what is involved in installing an aftermarket gauge? How does the aftermarket gauge get wired up to the sender through the firewall? Does it go through the same area as the dash stuff?

 

IF you want to stay with the original gauge, take it to an automotive instrument servicing place over your way and get them to test and/or repair the gauge.

Would that involve taking the dash apart to get it out to take it to them? Or would I just drop my car there?

 

1- buy aftermarket temp sender and gauge.

2- install sender and hook gauge up

3- don't mount gauge (if worried about ruining ke70 interior)

4- go for drive, make note of where the stock gauge is when aftermarket one reaches 60/70/80/90/100 degrees)

5- if car is actually overheating, take to mechanic and have him fix.

6- if satisfied car isn't overheating, remove all aftermarket stuff

7- ......

8- PROFIT

 

cheers

dF

Again, I'm interested in what kinda work #2 involves. :y:

 

Oh yeah, the engine fan doesn't move, Philbo.

 

Cheers guys.

[dfunkt]

If it is the gauge, what is involved in installing an aftermarket gauge? How does the aftermarket gauge get wired up to the sender through the firewall? Does it go through the same area as the dash stuff?

Cheers guys.

 

http://www.rx7.org/Robinette/water_temp_gauge.htm

[philbey]

You can always stash it in an inconspicuous spot, like down at knee level or in the console etc so it doesnt look tacky.

[Mybowlcut]

http://www.rx7.org/Robinette/water_temp_gauge.htm

They drill into their thermostat housing... so I'm guessing that aftermarket senders over here don't just screw into the old temp sender hole either?

 

You can always stash it in an inconspicuous spot, like down at knee level or in the console etc so it doesnt look tacky.

Yeah I'll try to haha.

[Raven]

You can do either, though I'd say it will be a cheaper to remove the cluster yourself and take it in.

 

Alternatively, you could try another instrument cluster and if the cluster reads correct, then you'll know its the temp gauge in the original one.

[DearmanKE]

do you have a multimeter and

a variable resister?

 

if so, put the temp sender in operating temp water, duno what it is? 100 degreesish?

 

then measure its resistance

 

then use the variable resister to resist the same amount and put it through 12 volts to your guage

 

and see what it reads

[seabiscuit]

I wouldn't play around with the thermostat.. The recommended (standard) thermostat is what was made for the car as

the thermostat lets water flow through the cooling system as soon as the engine is at its most efficient operating temperature.

So if you put a different one in, it will start regulating the flow of coolant before or after the time it was intended to start doing so!

 

A cheap aftermarket gauge would be the best option. Buy one from supercheap. I'd just install it under the dash near your knees

or if you like fiddling around, try make it "fit in" with the other gauges on your dash and replace the stock gauge with it.

 

I'm sure someone in your area from RollaClub wouldn't hesitate to give you a hand at installing it.

Edited January 8, 2009 by seabiscuit

[Mybowlcut]

do you have a multimeter and

a variable resister?

 

if so, put the temp sender in operating temp water, duno what it is? 100 degreesish?

 

then measure its resistance

 

then use the variable resister to resist the same amount and put it through 12 volts to your guage

 

and see what it reads

Nah I don't have one that's why I'm gonna get an electrician to do it for me haha. :(

 

I wouldn't play around with the thermostat.. The recommended (standard) thermostat is what was made for the car as

the thermostat lets water flow through the cooling system as soon as the engine is at its most efficient operating temperature.

So if you put a different one in, it will start regulating the flow of coolant before or after the time it was intended to start doing so!

 

A cheap aftermarket gauge would be the best option. Buy one from supercheap. I'd just install it under the dash near your knees

or if you like fiddling around, try make it "fit in" with the other gauges on your dash and replace the stock gauge with it.

 

I'm sure someone in your area from RollaClub wouldn't hesitate to give you a hand at installing it.

Yeah, I'll make sure it's not the sender or something else when I take to the electrician. If it's the gauge I'll buy an aftermarket piece.

[ke70dave]

hey man, sounds like your having a bit of fun with your temperature...

 

my stocko ke70 guage was doin the same as yours, all over the place and not really telling me anything.

 

the problem is the guages and senders and wiring in these cars is like 30yrs old, and since they run on resistnace they can get out of accuracy easily by crappy connectinos and wiring.

 

the only real way to get an accurate reading is to go aftermarket, the stocko guage doenst really tell you anything it just sais "hot" or "cold", and knowone knows what hot or cold is.

 

so what i did...was went to repco ordered in a VDO temperature guage and while i was there i ordered a sender to go with it. guage was about $50 and the sender around 25$

 

take down your old sender and get them to match the thread so it will bolt straight in, they should be the same on all models but take it just to make sure.

 

if your worried about destroying your ke interiour just do what i did, take out your guage cluster and do something simliar to this....

 

 

nice and stocko looking and the VDO guages have green lights in them so the guage looks almost identicle to the speedo/tacho at night.

 

i know you don't wanna do it, but its the only way to get a decent reading of temperature :(

[Mybowlcut]

hey man, sounds like your having a bit of fun with your temperature...

 

my stocko ke70 guage was doin the same as yours, all over the place and not really telling me anything.

 

the problem is the guages and senders and wiring in these cars is like 30yrs old, and since they run on resistnace they can get out of accuracy easily by crappy connectinos and wiring.

 

the only real way to get an accurate reading is to go aftermarket, the stocko guage doenst really tell you anything it just sais "hot" or "cold", and knowone knows what hot or cold is.

 

so what i did...was went to repco ordered in a VDO temperature guage and while i was there i ordered a sender to go with it. guage was about $50 and the sender around 25$

 

take down your old sender and get them to match the thread so it will bolt straight in, they should be the same on all models but take it just to make sure.

 

if your worried about destroying your ke interiour just do what i did, take out your guage cluster and do something simliar to this....

 

nice and stocko looking and the VDO guages have green lights in them so the guage looks almost identicle to the speedo/tacho at night.

 

i know you don't wanna do it, but its the only way to get a decent reading of temperature :y:

Yeah that looks nice and inconspicuous. The hard part for me is taking the dash apart to do it. I have no electrical knowledge either. Did you drill into the cluster?

[LittleRedSpirit]

Yeah that looks nice and inconspicuous. The hard part for me is taking the dash apart to do it. I have no electrical knowledge either. Did you drill into the cluster?

 

 

At some point you're going to have to leave the computer behind, go outside, pop the bonnet and have a look for yourself. Buy a manual to help ID all the bits you need to modify. Buy a gauge and look at its wiring diagram to see how to connect it.

 

I think most people here are tired of spoon feeding you the right answers, only to have you rebut us with reasons why you don't want to listen to the answers. How many experienced corolla enthusiasts do you need to tell you what to do before you go do it. :y:

 

I'm over it. As far as I'm concerned I'm not gonna offer any more help until you get off your butt and fit a temp gauge.

 

All your doing by hiring an auto electrician to fix the old gauge is turning a $60 dollar exercise into a $500 one. I mean hiring an auto electrician to test a sender is stupid when a new one is under $20. You will find even if the factory one works as intended it wont work with any aftermarket gauge, that's why you need the same brand as the sender as I told you before but you seem to have failed to grasp. Aftermarket senders are usually 1/8 npt thread which is tapered. Thats how they seal, with a taper. A factory ke sender is around 5/8 inch so all you have to do is spend $5 or less on a brass adapter from the same place you buy the gauge. Good luck.

Edited January 12, 2009 by LittleRedSpirit

[Mybowlcut]

At some point you're going to have to leave the computer behind, go outside, pop the bonnet and have a look for yourself. Buy a manual to help ID all the bits you need to modify. Buy a gauge and look at its wiring diagram to see how to connect it.

 

I think most people here are tired of spoon feeding you the right answers, only to have you rebut us with reasons why you don't want to listen to the answers. How many experienced corolla enthusiasts do you need to tell you what to do before you go do it. :y:

 

I'm over it. As far as I'm concerned I'm not gonna offer any more help until you get off your butt and fit a temp gauge.

 

All your doing by hiring an auto electrician to fix the old gauge is turning a $60 dollar exercise into a $500 one. I mean hiring an auto electrician to test a sender is stupid when a new one is under $20. You will find even if the factory one works as intended it wont work with any aftermarket gauge, that's why you need the same brand as the sender as I told you before but you seem to have failed to grasp. Aftermarket senders are usually 1/8 npt thread which is tapered. Thats how they seal, with a taper. A factory ke sender is around 5/8 inch so all you have to do is spend $5 or less on a brass adapter from the same place you buy the gauge. Good luck.

That's a bit rough, eh?

 

I guess I was a bit reluctant to follow the advice because I didn't want to take apart the dash and end up not knowing how the hell to get it back together. That's why I was going to get the electrician to test it first.

 

But, I'm guessing there are a few guys reading what you posted and agreeing to themselves, so I'll go out and do it.

 

I lost my last Gregorys manual so it's gonna be a bit more than a $60 job, but I do want to learn so I'll do it.

[LittleRedSpirit]

That's a bit rough, eh?

 

I guess I was a bit reluctant to follow the advice because I didn't want to take apart the dash and end up not knowing how the hell to get it back together. That's why I was going to get the electrician to test it first.

 

But, I'm guessing there are a few guys reading what you posted and agreeing to themselves, so I'll go out and do it.

 

I lost my last Gregorys manual so it's gonna be a bit more than a $60 job, but I do want to learn so I'll do it.

 

Thats the spirit!

 

Its called tough love. Youll thank me some day.

 

:y:

[Mybowlcut]

Trisco gauges will not work as the senders they come with are TOO FRIGGON LONG. :y:

 

Adam, so you used your old sender with the new gauge?

[Mybowlcut]

Er... yeah. So the Trisco one didn't work and all the others except this Calibre one have senders that are too long. Even the Calibre sender with the adaptor fitting on it doesn't want to go in... it's very tight. I'm wondering if I should just put the old sender back on and not worry about it. The Calibre is electric instead of mechanical and I have no idea how to wire it so that will need an electrician.

 

Very interested as to what everyone else did.

Edited January 13, 2009 by Mybowlcut