An accurate temperature sensor

[marri]

I am fretting about my xj running hot but it occurs to me it has never boiled. It ran just into the red the other day when towing a caravan in 38 degree heat... it didn't boil... just made me nervous. I am thinking I should try to get a more accurate temperature sensor before I start sinking $$$ into it. Anyone recommend one? Could a motor moron instal one? I have no doubt it runs very hot under load because it smells hot but I suspect not as hot as the stock guage leads me to believe.

Any suggestions?

[Negdriver]

Originally Posted by marri

I am fretting about my xj running hot but it occurs to me it has never boiled. It ran just into the red the other day when towing a caravan in 38 degree heat... it didn't boil... just made me nervous. I am thinking I should try to get a more accurate temperature sensor before I start sinking $$$ into it. Anyone recommend one? Could a motor moron instal one? I have no doubt it runs very hot under load because it smells hot but I suspect not as hot as the stock guage leads me to believe.

Any suggestions?

I fret about mine too. I don't know of any accurate temp gauges but someone here might help you there.

I'm planning on getting a bypass switch for my thermo fan and somehow force hot air out from a bonnet vent.

[bgbazz]

Smiths used to be one of the best, followed by VDO. Not the electric ones but the ones with the long tube connecting the sensor to the gauge.

[marri]

Originally Posted by Negdriver

I fret about mine too. I don't know of any accurate temp gauges but someone here might help you there.

I'm planning on getting a bypass switch for my thermo fan and somehow force hot air out from a bonnet vent.

Yeah, venting the bonnet seems to be the recommended method. I would like a bypass switch as well. I am thinking those two, with perhaps a better method of cooling the transmission fluid would probably do the trick. Funny though, I really don't want to poke holes in my bonnet.

Smiths certainly used to be good BG. I though there might be fully digital, accurate models around now.

[BennyWA]

I have these fitted to my cars:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ENGINE-WA...item20c2de08e2

You can set it to any temperature to warn you it's getting close to cooking, then it beeps intermittantly and you press a button to mute it. If the temp goes higher it then makes a constant beeeeeeeep and it's time to pull over!! Really simple to install and a really good product!

[carvesdodo]

Originally Posted by BennyWA

I have these fitted to my cars:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ENGINE-WA...item20c2de08e2

X 2 on the TM2 ...

Even better if you get the version with two sensors as you keep an eye on the temp of other stuff as well.


... or one of these - if the price is acceptable to you ... http://welltempered.weebly.com/index.html


If you have an OBDII 1997+ XJ ... then you can also just use an OBD reader like a ScanGauge ... but it does use the same sensor as the factory dash gauge.

Thats not an issue tho - as its the factory dash gauge that is deliberately vague - not the sensor .. unless its faulty.

[bgbazz]

I hear what you're saying marri..it's just that I prefer mechanical gauges over digital, however, having said that, the setup Benny is talking about looks pretty good and I could be swayed into one of those.