Ultra Gauge is for OBDII I believe. Use of existing sensor is OK, you can go back to it if neded by swapping a wire. If you want gauge on dash to have a fixed reading, just connect a 47 ohm resistor from Radio Shack from the wire lead to ground. If thermostat has a weep hole, there will be hot coolant moving past it and a sensor nearby will get a decent reading. Weep hole is important as it allows gas to pass by and not keep stat in a steam room. Like if you put your hand above the boiling pot of noodles, you'll move it. If you put it IN the pot of noodles, you'll react even faster. Same with the stat. And the concept of passing a gas bubble from time to time should not be unknown most Rover owners, including that famous expedition leader Colonel Whistlebritches.

Being off 4 -5 degrees is not nearly as big as being off 40 degrees. The stock setup is designed to lull casual users into confidence in their machines. In the D2, there is a second coolant temp sensor that is used to detect when the stat sticks closed. It considers top of range 284 F. Now you tell me, you think dat Rover V-8 like to run at 281F? For how long?

 

I tell you? You got it backwards bro. I'm guessing no. It would rather run cooler.

My V8 is running at 9 o'clock. For the first few minutes it runs slightly lower but gets into position soon enough. That's all I got.

I bought the gauge so I could chime in on yours and Tom's exact measurements and compare exact temps....kinda running with the big boys stuff. I want my 4 -5 degrees. I paid for it.

Despite this annoyance I am soooo happy the cooling system is working like I think it should. It's the best system on my truck at the moment.

So, I'm probably OBDI, right and I'll have to save the UltraGauge for the D2?

 

Yours is a 96? Put that in your sig so we see it and don't give a bad answer.

I have seen several episodes of HPTV where they drill and tap various surfaces for a variey of applications. Safest and surest way is to remove that item and do the drilling tapping on a bench if feasable. Much easier to control and have the best results.

If you are going to do it in place, you do need to take the debris into consideration.
It also increases the difficulty depending on things like the location and a lot of other variables thrown into play.

But there are situations where removal and bench tapping may not be the most feasable. Clint Eastwood: "How Lucky Do You Feel?"

 

i feel incredibly susceptible to bad luck so I highly doubt there will be any drilling in my future. looking for one of the other solutions.

Yes, 96 and 02....i'll put it in the sig sir.

 

Mine is technically a model year 97, but the way LR made changes whenever they wanted, they call mine an early 97, it has the same systems as a 96. It was manufactured in mid 96, has the pre-ael fuel pump (the cheaper one) and the GEMS intake, so they should be the same.

We should see how big the difference in VIN is. That would give us the quantity built in between.

 

OK, now they are telling me their gauges are 99% accurate...so that would be two plus degrees at 200f and above. I wonder how they know that. You think they actually tested that?

So do I buy the rad hose adapter or replace the OEM temp sensor?

I'm surely falling into that annoying customer category.

What do you mean Danny, you want my VIN number????

 

Yes your '96 is OBDII.
If you have a mechanical gauge that you bought to be perfectly honest I would return it and buy a electric gauge, then you can tap into the ECU coolant temp sensor right ontop of the intake manifold.
The electric gauge will work just as well as the mechanical one, only be easier to install and will not give a reading with the ignition off.
The mechanical one will read the engine temp all the time, so sitting on a hot parking lot on a 100*+ day it will read what the engine temp is before you even start the engine.
But the electric one will be super easy to install, just need to tap into the wires on the OEM temp sensor.

 

But if you have OBDII, why not go with Ultra Gauge and monitor darn near everything, plus you can program alarm points? And code reader functions as well. Mechanical or electric guages won't match a digital display.

 

Well....I have the mechanical gauge already. No box and some time has passed and there are shipping costs to consider so I'm going to keep it. At this point I'm going to replace the sensor for the dash gauge and either glue it like Spike said, leave it alone or try something funny with it.

Visually, I much prefer the mechanical gauge than a digital readout but it's obviously far inferior to the Ultragauge capabilities. Just another horse/bump in the road on my quest to build out my vehicle.

If I buy an Ultragauge can I rig it for an easy swap between the D1 and D2 without connecting and disconnecting stuff? I'd imagine I'd need a couple adapters if it installs like the mechanical.

 

Yes, will work on D1 and D2.

No need to glue dash gauge, you can take the wire that goes to the sensor, unplug it, and put a resistor between that wire and ground. It will make a reading on the dash when truck is running. 47 ohms should be a good starting place.

Put Ultra Gauge on the wish list.

You said mechanical gauge - as in there is some sort of probe and a not quite flexible tube between the gauge and the sender/probe? Or is electric wires between gauge and sender? Make and model?