Gauge clusters - Which years got a Oil Temp gauge in the cluster?

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

Mine's a mongrel of bits, it has a Smiths/Jaeger instrument cluster, this I think from an S3? I cobbled the empty segment - with only a charge light - to have an oil-temp at the 6 o'clock segment too.

Possible to cobble another, only a right pain to do. I'm aware some go the full set from the off? See examples in the pix.  some have he oil-temp 6 o'clock, some at 2 o'clock etc. Some got an ammeter too?

Who or what got what, what does yours have and where on the clock?

[Adam1958]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think it was only military units that got oil temp... although I'd imagine if ordering a new truck in period for a fire truck or forestry work it would have made sense to order an oil temp gauge if indeed that was possible.
I put an oil temp gauge in mine that reads bulk oil temp in the sump. It's surprising how hot it doesn't get! (I have matched the gauge and sender and tested on a bench to verify) I had to use a separate voltage regulator turned down from the usual 10v to just over 9 to get it work as accurately as possible.
In hind sight it was a great experiment to do and a fun thing to learn about, but in a day to day basis I ignore it now I've plumbed in an oil/water heat exchanger. (Great mod) I'll probably swap an oil pressure gauge into the 6 o'clock position at some point.

[Wittsend]

As posted ^^^

For MoD (and special orders/usages).
You can check the optional equipment catalogues/manuals.

I think they would all have come with an oil cooler in front of the rad.

They were fitted for the FFR trucks as they were parked up for hours charging up the batteries.

No reason not to cobble up an oil temp gauge for the instrument cluster if that's what you want.
Generally these engines run cool and the oil won't get that hot anyway - perhaps no more than 50 degrees on a very hot day (I have one in my LWT).

Not until the suffix D models - from April 1967 did the instruments include a water temp gauge.
Although a combined oil pressure and water temp gauge were an optional extra.

Personally I wouldn't mess with the voltage stabiliser.
I would fit a trim-pot restore in the gauge circuit and adjust that to better calibrate the gauge.
Some say you can adjust the gauge calibration with a little onboard screw - but then you have to take the gauge out/apart. My way you can do the adjusting in situ. Do the adjusting a little at a time as the gauge is slow to react to changes.



... or a 500 ohm pot would work. The voltage stabiliser also works the fuel gauge so that would need adjusting if you went the voltage stabiliser messing route

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

Ah, That'd explain why no 12V. That ties in with my understanding or more correctly what was available. I made my own because all I could find was 24V. Seems wanting another, I'm back to cobbling this too. You've both confirmed my thoughts, oil-temp gauges are not really necessary - not that cold fact will stop me.

I calibrated with a wirewound, To follow with a fix-value resistor. BBROYGBVGW. Best not bother even mouthing the mnemonic to the colour chart i learnt back when.

Do you also know who or what got  ammeters?

[Adam1958]

As posted ^^^

For MoD (and special orders/usages).
You can check the optional equipment catalogues/manuals.

I think they would all have come with an oil cooler in front of the rad.

They were fitted for the FFR trucks as they were parked up for hours charging up the batteries.

No reason not to cobble up an oil temp gauge for the instrument cluster if that's what you want.
Generally these engines run cool and the oil won't get that hot anyway - perhaps no more than 50 degrees on a very hot day (I have one in my LWT).

Not until the suffix D models - from April 1967 did the instruments include a water temp gauge.
Although a combined oil pressure and water temp gauge were an optional extra.

Personally I wouldn't mess with the voltage stabiliser.
I would fit a trim-pot restore in the gauge circuit and adjust that to better calibrate the gauge.
Some say you can adjust the gauge calibration with a little onboard screw - but then you have to take the gauge out/apart. My way you can do the adjusting in situ. Do the adjusting a little at a time as the gauge is slow to react to changes.



... or a 500 ohm pot would work. The voltage stabiliser also works the fuel gauge so that would need adjusting if you went the voltage stabiliser messing route

Nice info there bud.

I should have added my adjustable voltage reg is only wired to that one temp gauge as I understood the stock voltage reg in the dash is only suited to running two gauges. (Fuel & water temp)

I did try and fine tune the set up with the in-gauge adjustment... and like you say... massive faff.

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

Depends on the gauge type. Most LR Series are fitted Smiths gauges fuel or temp, these are 10V. And in that instance the above diagram stands. However I couldn't find a BT prefix temp gauge (in Smiths segment format) that looked the part. I used a TC prefix. TC requires no 10V. Different sender too. How you do this depends on which gauge and sender type you use. They have to be matched.

The 10V regulator is a zener diode. Or mine is... Runs my fuel-gauge and water. If I could find a water/oil temp gauge (for oil)   in BT format (10V) all three'd be on the same Zener.

[Wittsend]

The OE voltage stabiliser is an electro-mechanical device that outputs a "steady" 10 volts to power the water temp and fuel gauges.





A zener diode is a solid state silicon device which does the same thing. There are many modern replacements of the OE stabiliser available on eBay for around £12.
Search for "MG or Mini voltage stabiliser.

I'm not sure how many instruments the OE stabiliser could power up
Supplementary Smiths type 2" gauges tend to run off the vehicle's 12 volt power supply and don't need a stabiliser.

With "Auxiliary" electrical equipment you have to check that they are OK at running off 14 or 15 volts as that's what the charging system can be supplying.
!2 volts is just a "notional" vehicle operating voltage.

[Adam1958]

Solid info gents. I wish I could recall why I believe it to be the case that the OE style 10v stabiliser can only power two gauges??? Might have dreamt it... I do like cheese and beer... so...

If either of you ever comes across an oil pressure gauge suitable for the 6 o'clock position please drop me a mail. As I mentioned the oil temp is interesting but not that useful as it takes a very hot day and a damn good thrashing to get it to what would be considered a normal temp.

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

If it's an oil-pressure at 6 o'clock you're wanting, i think you'll get lucky. I'm sure you're aware these Smiths segment gauges are not rare. Appeared right across pretty much any Brit car of the period. Ford to BMC to Rootes etc Interchangeable, there must be a Smiths segment gauge from one of them that has what you're after. eBlag is your 'fiend' (sic). Took some searching, eventually found my temp-gauge out of an Austin 110, then more homework to source the matched sender. It can be done.

Running closed-loop, I've a weird and wonderful fuel sender. 5-0V thus 5V empty, 0V full, modern gauges are not resistive.

I was chatting to the guv' at Spiyda.com, they make a gadget to interface any sender with any gauge. If it gets awkward, that'd be your answer.

Fuel gauge Interface

[Adam1958]

Good chap at Spiyda, it's him I got the adjustable voltage stabiliser from.

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

Yes, appears clued-in. Minded to words from the two of  you, and the likehood I'm going to get a cluster that's 24V,  I've sourced a water temp. segment for 6 o'clock from shock horror, a Hillman Minx. It's TC format (see the letters TC just obscured in pic to the model number) thus not 10V. £26 NOS delivered. Now to source a Hillman Minx TC format temp sender... or whatever else takes TC gauges. I think Farinas do?

This one in 'old skool °F. Seems if I buy the same thing with a LR beard number it's 5-6 x the price - and 24V. Makes you wonder.

I suppose, aside from  'toy for toy's sake', oil temp. does have use. If only for me. My last one gets use. Stops me thrashing anything until the oil indicates 85°. Prior to that the water temp would indicate normal, and I'd wait a little longer. accepting oil takes a while to get hot. i'd still hammer things too early. Oil takes a good 10-15 mins longer to get to temp. more than I thought. On a short-run it never will. Oil temp makes me see this in real-time.

I've one of those IR temperature guns, oil gets to 85-90°. Which is optimum for oil. You're right, I've never seen much more even thrashing on hot days.

Knowing this I could just wait, only that'd be far too sensible.

Thanks to you both.

[Adam1958]

Nice looking gauge.
Let us know how you get on.

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

Just ordered it, done similar before, won't be too onerous.

What with it from a Hillman Minx, I thought I just about know what one of those is? Turns out I'd forgotten. There was a pre-Hillman Hunter Minx as well. shades of Ford Anglia at the front. See pic. I'd forgotten about that one.

[Herald1360]

That looks like a series V Minx.

Plenty of others to choose from....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillman_Minx

My second car was a 12yo series II Minx in 1970.

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

I get the idea from other cars of the era, an ammeter is a 50s / early 60s thing? Along with dynamos. By the 70s the flavour was voltmeters/ alternators. I'd like an ammeter, well because...

However I shoved a 200Tdi grunted alternator in there. It's doing 75-80A. More than the standard 65A. Period ammeters tend to be 30A. What with heavy non fused cable swinging from the trees, and modern alternators doing 150A+, and easier ways to do much the same thing, I can see why they not on trend now.

I still want one.