Hey all,
Been looking forward to this project for weeks! I will be posting parts of this project as I move along through the upcoming days.
In my previous race car project, I built a data logging system that has a CANBUS ability and communicates the ECU through a HMI touchable screen. With that, I could monitor just about every sensor in the car. A sample screen shot was this...
But for the smart, I decided to go with a more conservative approach. No customized HMI, no tons of wires running here and there. No deciphering CAN LO/HI signals. And hopefully no drilling (or destroying too much of the interior trims).
I have used VDO, Greddy, Defi, Autometer gauges in the past. IMO, the Japanese gauges are better in accuracy and quality. Although Autometer has vastly improved their product line over the last couple of years. Basically any gauge that runs in the $100 to $150 is worth getting. There's nothing wrong with getting $30 VDO gauges if a 10 to 15% offset doesn't bug you. Then there's the difference between mechanical and electrical gauges, which I shall not delve too much into for now.
I needed a metric gauge and that practically boiled down to Japanese gauges and a small UK company called SPA Technique. The unique feature about SPA is that it is a dual digital gauge. You can read two sensors from a single 52mm gauge. Note that the SPA gauge can be read in either metric or imperial units. Backlighting customizable to green or red. Warning lights can be programmed/recalled.
The next challenge is to find out where to tap the sensors.
First the oil temp sensor. In the past, oil temp sensors have been mounted in the oil pan area, the lowest pt and preferably a location where the fluid flow is minimal. Drilling/tapping the oil pan can be a scary attempt for most. Ideally, it requires removing the pan.
The other way is to make use of the oil drain plug. As some of you may already know, we have a M22 plug. There are M22 adapters out there, ie Setrab/Mocal have them for example. M22 to a AN adapter would be ideal.
However, smart car drain plug is quite special. It has a wire gauze filter attached to the end of the plug. The reason is that oil is being sucked up through the drain channel to be recirculated from the oil pan to the moving parts.
I did a bit of work removing the gauze and drill/tap carefully. Here you see the end result:
If you wonder, yes, the oil does flow through and comes in contact with the sensor. Let me assure you that the structural integrity of the plug is not compromised in anyway. There are different schools of thoughts whether this is the best way to measure oil temp. I had 2 oil temp locations in my race car and one of them was similar through the plug. No issues that I am aware of.
What about the coolant temp sensor?
You will have to wait for the update this evening...
Thank you for reading.
Linear Mode
