Oil Pressure Gauge Conversion Part 1 of 2

[vegasmarauder]

Auto Meter Marauder Gauge Conversion

I converted my stock oil gauge to a working one with the correct face plate. Here’s how. The pictures will be in the Gallery. I bought an extra gauge and sender to work with. You don’t have to and can use the ones in your car, but I learned with my Shelby that it’s not a bad idea to keep the stock parts. And I can convert it back simply by changing the gauge and sender if a warranty issue comes up. The stock oil gauge is part # 3W3Z-9G272-AA and the stock sender is part # 1U5Z-9278-DA. The Auto Meter gauge kit is part # 4327.

To remove the gauge pod gently pull down and forward on the outer ends of the pod. It is held in with two snap clips. Work it out between the dash and console until you can remove the mounting studs and wires. Once out you can start on the gauge (next post will cover the sending unit mods as this is getting long). The round outer bezel is crimped over the edge of the cup. It is aluminum so it is very easy to very gently uncrimp it. I used a small screwdriver and worked around the edge. Then you can slip the front off the gauge. It is the same for both gauges. The glass and inner trim stay with the front. The only change you are going to make is to take the Marauder face off the Ford part and put it on the Auto Meter one. The hardest part is removing the pointer without breaking it. If you don’t want to try this yourself, just bring both gauges to a gauge repair shop and tell them you want the MM face on the new gauge. Have them return the old gauge disassembled as you need the wires from the MM gauge. To remove the MM gauge, the face screws hold it in the cup. On the AM (Auto Meter) one it is the three screws that the wires mount to on the back. Once the gauges are out of the cups, I took the screws holding the face plates off . Grasp the center shaft below the pointer with needle nose pliers just below the shoulder of the bottom of the pointer and then push it off with a small blade screwdriver. It may take a bit of force to come off. Use care to not bend the center shaft or the gauge is ruined. Practice with the MM gauge. Do this for both. There are two small aluminum washers that are under the face screws on the AM gauge, save them for reassembly. Swap the MM face plate for the AM one. I then took the longer MM brass mounting screws out of the rear cup, they are just pressed in, and put them in the AM cup. On the MM gauge the three wires run up and have round terminal ends under three metal pins running through the white plastic gauge body. They just push out from the opposite side of the wire end once you push off the metal cup covering the inner gauge. This is the wire harness you will then attach to the AM studs when the AM gauge is back together. It allows the AM gauge to just plug back into the MM dash harness. Before you put the needle back on the AM, I hooked up the wires and set the pointer loosely on gauge. The wire to the modified sending unit should be hooked up. Turn the key to on and the gauge should set to the zero mark. Gentle put the needle on at the zero mark and then unhook the wires. Installation is the same technique as removal of the pointer. Grasp the shaft with needle nose pliers and then using a clean plastic handle end of a small screwdriver, tap the needle back on. The pliers are to take the force off the guts of the gauge. It doesn’t take much to put the pointer back on. You can use a drop of Locktite if you like, but I haven’t had a pointer fall off of other gauges on other cars. Once the pointer is set, put the face plate screws in and the AM gauge back in the cup and secure the screws. I then put the glass cover back in place (make sure it is clean). Put the gauge face down on a soft towel. I used a large wide blade screwdriver and gently bend back over the crimp while holding slight downward pressure on the cup. It is soft so it goes back together easily. Take the old gauge harness and put the ring end on each wire. Black is ground, White/Red stripe to sender and so forth. I coat the exposed studs with liquid insulating tape, but it’s not necessary as the dash is plastic. Reassemble the gauge into the pod and pod to dash. That’s it. The gauge looks exactly like the old one and works great!

[vegasmarauder]

Auto Meter Marauder Gauge Sender Conversion

Pictures in the Gallery. This is part 2 of the AM (Auto Meter) to MM (Marauder) oil pressure gauge conversion.

Take the MM sender and grind the metal away from the crimp at the plastic/base point. Be careful not to grind away the plastic. Once enough is removed, the plastic base come off. There is a small spring inside. Save it for reuse. Use the brass AM wire mounting nut and grind it on opposite sides until it is the width of the inside diameter of the plastic body. Then take the plastic body and drill holes right beside each other all the way through the plastic body just above the flat portion that used to be next to the metal base. Use a drill that is just under the thickness of of the brass nut. The idea is the narrowed nut will slip into the slot in the base of the body. Leave enough plastic to have support for the nut. Cut the old spring in half, and put the spring into the body and compress it until you can slide the nut into the slot trapping the spring into the upper body. Then the lock washer goes on the stud and thread the plastic body onto the stud and tighten it. Don’t over tighten it and break it. Since the sending unit is down low on the engine and exposed to the elements, I use a little silicone to seal the slots in the body and the edge where the body rests on the sending unit. Check the continuity of the center pin inside the wire connection end to the sender body with an ohm meter. If you put it together right it should be making connection.

When screwing the sending unit into to oil filter housing you may have to rotate one of the power steering hoses toward the front of the car until the sender is in for clearance. Rotate it back once the sender is in. Hook up the wire and check for leaks. The finished product looks just like FORD would have done it. And if you have your oil changed at the dealer they won’t even notice it’s different.

Jim

[WolfeBros]

Nicely done Vegasmarauder. You had the guts to tackle that aluminum bezel and I did not. I may have another go at it. Good post and pics. Thanks.

[studio460]

vegasmarauder:

Great posts, vegasmarauder! And GREAT do***entation photos of your gauge mods--these are the kinds of photos and information that always seem to generate the most interest for many of us here! Keep up the good work and thanks for all your detailed descriptions!

[WolfeBros]

Vegasmarauder,
Thanks to your post I now have a working oil pressure gauge with the OEM gauge faceplates. I reinstalled the original voltmeter as well. I did not put the mating plug on the sending unit like you did but did make an adapter wire so I can go back stock if need be and didn't cut the harness.

This modification is however not for the clumsy handed or faint of heart. I have done gauge calibration before and have pulled meter pointers so I knew what I was getting into there. Your post gave me the inspiration to tackle the removal of the aluminum bezel and do it right and make it look OEM. Thanks again for the well written and do***ented posts and pics.

[vegasmarauder]

Wow! Thanks! I appreciate it. I like to make things either look as stock as possible or as modified as possible.

[jgc61sr2002]

vegasmarauder - Great job. Thanks. John

[TripleTransAm]

Let me add my name to the list of folks who are just downright impressed with this fantastic how-to. This morning I completed the installation, at the dealer (since the car was already there for other things, and they will feel more comfortable as to why the car's oil pressure sender was messed with).

Did the sender modifications at home, followed by 3/4 of the gage modifications as well. This morning while waiting for the sender to get installed, I silicone'd the exposed 'nut' area on the sender and electrical-taped the crimps on the round terminals on the 3 wires, just in case. Overall, factor in a few hours taking your time and doing it right.

There were a couple of little details that you had to figure out on your own, but overall the instructions could not have been more clear. I took some time to read through the details while looking at the images, and assembled all the necessary parts (new MM gage, new Autometer gage and sender, new pressure switch). Dremelled off the plastic connector off the sender, tricky part was keeping the spring under the nut once it was time to secure the nut within the plastic.

It really is a good idea to start on the new MM gage first. I perfected my uncrimping technique on this gage, so my second attempt on the Autometer gage was pretty much on the ball. I did mess up the indicator shaft something silly on the new MM gage, so I'm happy not to have practiced on my stocker or the new Autometer.

Speaking of shaft, perhaps I misread the instructions but I found my pointers had little necks that I mistook for the actual shafts (leading to my destruction of the shaft on the first gage). I figured out that the needle-nose pliers should go underneath this little cylinder immediately under the pointer, and I can 'flip up' the pointer off the shaft by using a screwdriver propped against the pliers. It could have been just me, it was late.

Biggest headache came with removing the gage panel off the console... it was TIGHT. There was NO clearance between it and the console top surface. Tense moments were had.

Everything else went smoothly... calibration, re-crimping, using the little round terminal ends from the original wiring to facilitate connection to the harness plug... all of this a sheer work of art, VegasMarauder! Performing the actual modifications was as much fun as actually having a functional gage, thanks to your excellently detailed instructions.

If I ever have the good fortune of meeting you, I will owe you a big hearty handshake and a few brews. Thanks again for the excellent job!

[WolfeBros]

Hey Steve welcome to the group. We are small but slowly growing. Its great to have a working gauge with an OEM face.
Congrats on your installation. :up:

[TooManyFords]

Did I just miss something on this thread? Isn't the current Auto Meter gauge for Oil already in the MM? If so, why the switch?

BTW, the pictures and instructions look easy enough. I just need to know -why- the switch was made to decide if I need it too.

Thanks!

[RF Overlord]

Too Many Fords:

The factory gauge is a fake...it's just a go/no-go that turns on at approx 6½ lbs...the AutoMeter kit # 4327 is a REAL gauge and sender set that works correctly and is so close to the factory style, most people won't notice; but there are always A/R people like TooManyTransAms that need to have it EXACT... :rolleyes:

:lol:

[the fat bastid]

but isnt the light for the new gauge still wrong?

i thought the mm's had a green light, the am had a clear light? i read the details but didn't notice if it contained the led swap too.

[Fast4Door]

The green color comes from the faceplate. The bulb is clear. The first thing I did to my MM when I got home from the dealer was pull the gauge out because the light wasn't working. Turned out the power pin in the connector was pushed out. Fixed it no problem, but I did see a clear bulb.

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by Fast4Door
The green color comes from the faceplate. The bulb is clear.


Interesting... I haven't checked the original gage yet, but the spare factory gage I picked up at the dealer on Thursday morning had the blue-ish "cap" on the clear lightbulb. The real autometer gage came with both green and red "caps" but since the instructions allowed for reusing the factory gage's wiring, so I figured I'd keep the blue cap along with using the factory faceplate.

Before we start a witch hunt, recall that the Canadian and US faceplates are different. Perhaps the differences also include the presence of the blue cap or not.

Side note to RF... A/R Canadians with too many Trans Ams want the gage faceplate with the little 'oil can' graphics to go along with the 'battery' symbol on the Canadian voltmeter! ;)

[WolfeBros]

Originally posted by the fat bastid
but isnt the light for the new gauge still wrong?


You don't use the light that comes with the replacement Autometer gauge. The factory bulb and socket is 1/4 turn. You take it out of the original gauge and put it into the replacement Autometer gauge. No need to do anything to the light socket and wiring. Its already there and good to go. And yes the original bulb uses a blue light cover. The replacement gauge comes with a red and a green bulb cover. If you change the gauge faceplate so it will look OEM you need to stay with the blue. If you install and use the Autometer gauges as they come out of the box the green looks the best and actually matches the dash fairly well.

[TripleTransAm]

Interesting thought (at least, to me...):
I wonder how it would look with the factory faceplate but no blue light bulb cover? ie. clear bulb only?

Another interesting thought... I can always swap in the red bulb cover in December as part of the whole Xmas season look... LOL!

[WolfeBros]

FWIW that blue bulb cover lights up pretty white looking to me.

Yeah TTA.....Do a green in one gauge and red in the other.
Santa might leave you a s/c kit to install. :D

[vegasmarauder]

Steve,
Thanks, I appreciate it.
You are exactly right about the needle, I should have clarified that, good thing you pointed it out for the others. And the same about "practicing" with the original gage to get the feel for taking the new one apart and getting it back together again. I kept the light just the way it came out.

I have learned so much from this list I wanted to contribute something with the article.

I'll be heading to Ennis in September, I'm looking forward to meeting people from the list and looking at all the cars..
Jim

[TooManyFords]

Looks like I'll be ordering the parts to do this conversion also. I had no idea the pressure gauge was fake!

Thanks!!

[2003_MM_FYRE49]

When removing the bezels from the gages, I used Snap-op awl No. 3ASAAO. I carefully inserted it between the bezel and the cup and kept running it around the edge several times keeping continual outward pressure until the bezel came free of the cup. This kept the bezel from deforming using a screwdriver tip. When replacing the bezel I used the shaft of a Snap-on screwdriver No. SDD2. I ran the shaft of the screw driver around the bezel several times until it was snug you would never know I was in the gages.

I did my sender connectors a little bit differntly. I bought two switches from Ford. I ground off the metal bases just like Vegasmarauder did. The next step I cut the spring in half, and got another brass nut like the one that came with the AM gage. I then threaded a 1 inch long screw into the nut just enough to hold the nut, I placed the modified spring into the base of the connector, centered the nut over the spring and wrapped a tie-wrap around the head of the screw and connector assembly. After that was secured I mixed up some epoxy and epoxied the nut into placemaking sure to adequately cover the nut and connector body so it wouldn't come undone and to keep the elements out. After about an hour, I removed the tie-wrap and the 1 inch screw and now I had a good sturdy and hopefully waterproof connector assembly to screw onto the Oil Sending Unit. It worked perfectly.

I also made another connector assembly (in case the first one didn't work) which I ground off the flat part of the base of the connector leaving a smooth round barrel at the bottom of the connector. Next I took about a 6 inch piece of 18 ga. white colored wire and soldered it onto the metal tab inside the plastic barrel portion of the connector. After that was done I soldered a round connector(attaches to the sending unit) to the other end of the white wire. Again I mixed up some epoxy and filled the barrel portion of the plastic connector to seal it and to keep water and other elemnts out. I tested this assembly also, and it too worked perfectly. I wish I had a digital camera to show you how it looks. Hopefully I explained it thouroghly.

Tim :fire: 49

[the fat bastid]

a bump for this thread.

i finished mine today.
and the instructions where good.
i'll add a few things i found out on my own.

i used as many oem parts as possible.
the oem face wont sit level in the am cup because the cup has little grooves in it. instead i drilled out the holes in the oem cup. the oem cup has 3 little markings on the bottom that is exatcly where the holes go.

my biggest hang up , other then damaging the needle, was that the needle didnt seem to sit low enough on the pin. turns out the am plastic pieces are lower then the oem ones. i used the 2 little silver washer things from the am gauge and they worked great.

the sender info is spot on.

try not to slice to the trim ring with the screwdriver when you are putting back on.. :alone:

dont forget:
the blue condom thing.
the silver inch long spacers.
where you put the nuts.
that oil will come out from the place you put the sender. (about a pint or so)
you don't replace that thing that looks like the oil sender, you just screw it on to what is there.

big thanks to:
marauder jack.
vegasmarauder
darebren
and
everyone else on this board. rock on!

[MERCMAN]

After install, what kind of pressures are you running,,, cold, warm, WOT, etc? Just curious because I just had mine installed and it seems a bit low.

[RF Overlord]

Zod:

Excellent job, bro! :up:


mercman:

With the "real" face, not the Ford one, I get about 100 lbs on a cold start, 25 lbs at warm idle in gear, and about 50 lbs warm cruising at 40-45 mph...YMMV

[Kelly]

[QUOTE=the fat bastid]a bump for this thread.
you dont replace that thing that looks like the oil sender, you add it!

Do you thread the old sender into the new sender some how, so you can use the stock wire harness?

[Fourth Horseman]

Do you thread the old sender into the new sender some how, so you can use the stock wire harness?

You'll completely remove the old sender and replace it with the new one that comes with the guage. It's a piece of cake. A little thread sealer on the threads of the new sender and the brass adapter that it comes with and you're there.

[Kelly]

You'll completely remove the old sender and replace it with the new one that comes with the guage. It's a piece of cake. A little thread sealer on the threads of the new sender and the brass adapter that it comes with and you're there.

I have the new AM gauges, just havn't been brave enough to tackle it yet. Thanks. Kelly

[RF Overlord]

^^^what Fourth said^^^

Kelly: check your PMs...

[the fat bastid]

you don't replace that thing that looks like the oil sender, you add it!

let me clarify that.
if you check out your car you will notice something on the car by oil filter that looks like the sender that you get from am. you dont swap that one for the am one, instead you unscrew a seemingly harmless bolt next to it and put the sender inline there, which is shown in darebren's pic. So you don't replace that one you just add the am one to it.
hopefully that makes sense now

and i get about the same psi that rf does.
25 warm idle
50-75 cruising/gasing around town
100+ when i floor it.

remember, depending on where you zeroed your needle it will cause a difference

[jaywish]

Hi,

I was wondering about where would be the best place to buy the new Autometer oil pressure guage?

Thanks
Jay

PS: This is the 1st mod I'm planning.

[RF Overlord]

where would be the best place to buy the new Autometer oil pressure guage?

jay, both Summit (http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=ATM%2D4327 ) and Jeg's sell AutoMeter gauges... the oil pressure is P/N 4327 and goes for about $54 including the necessary sender. I've also seen them at various local speed shops...

To paraphrase the Nike ads: "Just freakin' DO it..." :D

[martyo]

I was wondering about where would be the best place to buy the new Autometer oil pressure guage?


Jay: If you need a hand doing teh conversion, let me know and I will give you a hand.

[RF Overlord]

Jay: If you need a hand doing teh conversion, let me know and I will give you a hand.

See, that's what's so great about this place... :D

...although I'm not sure you want to let marty near anything sharp...and be sure to count the change in your ashtray when he's done...

[djcwardog]

Interesting... I haven't checked the original gage yet, but the spare factory gage I picked up at the dealer on Thursday morning had the blue-ish "cap" on the clear lightbulb. The real autometer gage came with both green and red "caps" but since the instructions allowed for reusing the factory gage's wiring, so I figured I'd keep the blue cap along with using the factory faceplate.

Before we start a witch hunt, recall that the Canadian and US faceplates are different. Perhaps the differences also include the presence of the blue cap or not.

Side note to RF... A/R Canadians with too many Trans Ams want the gage faceplate with the little 'oil can' graphics to go along with the 'battery' symbol on the Canadian voltmeter! ;)

Folks,

I had a fun morning and put in a KB Dead Pedal, a JET Chip, a K&N air filter (in the stock housing), and... I swapped out both gauges with the AutoMeter ones. I carefully cut stock wires and crimped on new circle connectors. Of course I used AM's replacement oil pressure sending unit and cut the plug off of the stock wire to mount on the new sending unit. I decided to just swap out the pair and not put the MM faces on the new AM gauges. As I used a matched set for Oil and Volts, I think they look great! I also used the stock light bulbs in the new AM gauges. For now I left the bulb covers off... Tonight I'll play with the the stock blue and the recommended green bulb covers and go with what looks to match the main dash the best. By the way, startup cold oil pressure is close to 75 PSI at idle and goes up to just past 100 PSI when revved. Once warmed up, the motor idles at just over 25 PSI. Is this a normal situation? Thanks for the inspiration!

[RF Overlord]

By the way, startup cold oil pressure is close to 75 PSI at idle and goes up to just past 100 PSI when revved. Once warmed up, the motor idles at just over 25 PSI. Is this a normal situation?

First of all: WAY TO GO, wardog! :up:

Second, if you are using 5W-20 oil, then yes...those numbers are normal. With 5W-30, you'll get closer to 100 lbs at cold startup.

Let us all know how you like the JET chip...I think you're the only one who's using that brand...

[MERCMAN]

Need some advice. Ford installed my new Autometer guage and sending unit. The oil pressure NEVER goes above 25lbs hot or cold, I (we) suspect something is wrong with the sending unit, as it was installed using the excellent directions offered here, Have rechecked all connections twice. Is there some way to calibrate the new guage or am I just going to have to replace the sending unit? Thanks in advance!!!

[RF Overlord]

Ford installed my new Autometer guage and sending unit.

Well, there's your problem... :eek:

Seriously, I think a call to AutoMeter is in order...it could be either the gauge or the sender, and they should have some way you can verify which one is defective.

There is no "calibration" per se...when you turn the key ON (not to START) the needle should come up off the peg slightly and read "0". The sender is basically just a variable resistor that changes with pressure applied to a sensing element, usually a diaphragm of sorts. Since the sender and the gauge are in series, this changes the amount of current flowing through the gauge, causing it to read up (hopefully).

[djcwardog]

Well, there's your problem... :eek:

Seriously, I think a call to AutoMeter is in order...it could be either the gauge or the sender, and they should have some way you can verify which one is defective.

There is no "calibration" per se...when you turn the key ON (not to START) the needle should come up off the peg slightly and read "0". The sender is basically just a variable resistor that changes with pressure applied to a sensing element, usually a diaphragm of sorts. Since the sender and the gauge are in series, this changes the amount of current flowing through the gauge, causing it to read up (hopefully).

I have a thought having just done this myself. You will want to pull out the sender and double check to make sure that no teflon tape was allowed to get in the oil path. If a small strip got loose and was forced by oil to lodge against the new sender, that could explain the problem. This is very important as the sender is a 1/4" mounted to an adapter that screws into the boss just above the oil filter. That is two separate places where they should have wrapped teflon tape to prevent a leak. Just pull apart the two pieces and re-apply teflon tape ensuring that it in no way hangs over the end - remaining only on the thread barell itself (for both fittings). It's worth a look... Good thing is that by disassembling the sender in this way you'll find the tape (or not) and be able to remove it (if there) and not worry about it getting into the engine...

After all this, then a call to AM may be the best... (Assuming that the Ford mechanics used the proper wires, etc... in installing for you.

Good luck!

[shami02]

I am doing the gauge internal swap next week and wanted to look at the vegasmarauder pic's. Are they still around anywhere? I looked in the Photos section and cant find them...

[RF Overlord]

shami, those pix may be lost. There was an issue with the gallery when Logan did an upgrade a while back, and IIRC a lot of pictures were gone.

[shami02]

yeah I thought they may have been lost due to the site changes... I had hopes someone had them saved some where else....

[natedog1284]

I just did my gage swap today, using only the autometer gages, (no face-plate swap) and, while they look great, my oil pressure reads over 100 all the time, even with the engine off. I'm thinking the gage is A.F.U., because I can't see how the sender could be sending a reading that high with no oil pressure going to it. I followed Wes's write-up to a T, (which was very well done btw :up:) and according to his instructions, as well as the instructions from autometer, I didn't mix the wires up, so I can't think of what else it would be. I left a message with AM after I discovered this, so I hope to hear from them tomorrow. In the mean time, any one have any other ideas?

[fastblackmerc]

100+psi is normal for a cold engine at hhigher RPMs. After it warms up you should be at 15 - 25psi at idle.

[natedog1284]

100+psi is normal for a cold engine at hhigher RPMs. After it warms up you should be at 15 - 25psi at idle.

Yeah, but it reads 100+ at startup, idle, cold, hot, engine not running etc....

[Dragcity]

You sir, have an engine with it's own heartbeat. Cherrish it.

Are these gauges driven by a sensor, or by an oil line directly from the engine? If it's a true mechanical (hydro-mechanical) then an oil line comes from the engine to the gauge and drives the mechanisms. If that's what you have, then maybe there is a bit of something (Tef-tape) in the line holding the pressure. If it is an electro-mechanical, then the sensor is probably fried.

I always used the hydro-mechanical type. Gives you the real deal.

[TripleTransAm]

If you didn't swap the dummy on-off switch for the real autometer sender, the "real" gage will read max all the time (can't remember if it does this with the engine off as well, though).

I'm not a big fan of having oil lines coming into the cabin.

[Dragcity]

Yeah, it's a little worrysome for me too. But I like the idea of getting a true reading. I ran it in my '78 T-Bird for 5 years without any worries. Who knows, I may not change a thing. There is a lot of beer to drink out there, and I plan on conquering that, one-at-a-time!

[natedog1284]

No, I have the AM replacements and they are full electric. I'm going to call Jeg's this morning to see what they have to say. It probably is the sensor, but I would vastly prefer to have a faulty gage, (it's much easier to swap that out and I don't have to get dirty :rolleyes:).

P.S. If you need any help with all that beer, let me know; I'll be glad to lend you a hand! :beer:

[wchain]

I Did a write up with Pics here
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/reviews/showproduct.php/product/25/sort/2/cat/12/page/1

[RF Overlord]

So nate, you're saying that the needle on the gauge is stuck at the right-hand side all the time, or that when you turn the key on, it moves to the right and stays there? If it's the former, then the gauge unit is bad, but I would have thought you'd see that before installing it. If it's the latter scenario, then it does sound like a bad sender...try unhooking the white/pink wire either at the sender or at the back of the gauge...if the needle goes back down, then the sender is most likely bad. AutoMeter is usually very good with customer service...

[Dragcity]

No, I have the AM replacements and they are full electric. I'm going to call Jeg's this morning to see what they have to say. It probably is the sensor, but I would vastly prefer to have a faulty gage, (it's much easier to swap that out and I don't have to get dirty :rolleyes:).

P.S. If you need any help with all that beer, let me know; I'll be glad to lend you a hand! :beer:


I can always use assistance in drinking beer, as I make my own as well.... There are too many out there for one person to handle. But like they say, "divide and conquer".

[natedog1284]

So nate, you're saying that the needle on the gauge is stuck at the right-hand side all the time, or that when you turn the key on, it moves to the right and stays there? If it's the former, then the gauge unit is bad, but I would have thought you'd see that before installing it. If it's the latter scenario, then it does sound like a bad sender...try unhooking the white/pink wire either at the sender or at the back of the gauge...if the needle goes back down, then the sender is most likely bad. AutoMeter is usually very good with customer service...

Yes, the latter is the case. I have already ordered a new sending unit, which I hopefully will be installing tomorrow. BTW Wes, your write-up was awesome. I actually had my laptop out in the car so I could reference it easier! :) Everything went in fine; I did it while was changing the oil. And FYI, for anyone who hasn't done this, I did mine with the car on ramps, and it was very easy to get to. But when I stripped the end of the wire coming from the old sender, I just disconnected the other plug that was also in the same wire loom and brought the wire up through engine compartment so I didn't have to crimp the plug or attach it to the new sender while lying on my back. Of course if you have a lift, you won't have to worry about that. Also, given my position, I took off the plastic guard that's attached to the bottom of the radiator just to give my arms a little more room. Very easy swap overall; it took me about half an hour. It just goes to figure that the only reason I did the swap was to have a real oil pressure reading, and now I don't even have that. *sigh* Oh well, hopefully all will be well tomorrow. I'll keep you updated.

[shami02]

For all of the replies... I see the pic's i needed in the reviews section.

BTW Wes great writeup! thankx again

[whd507]

every newer ford vehicle I have owned with a guage, was really a "light". on one of my powerstrokes I bypassed the voltage reducer on the guage pod, and replaced the sender with a unit for a guage, then the factory "guage" worked as it should.

would this work on these guages?

[RF Overlord]

No. That work-around is only for the Ford gauges that are in the instrument panel. The AutoMeter gauges in the MM were designed to Ford's spec and will not work with the standard AutoMeter sender. Well, it'll work (sort of), but you have to replace both the sender and the gauge unit to get it to read correctly.

[whd507]

ok, I have ultralites at work, so a swap is within easy reach. I looked quickly at the ones at work, I couldnt see a difference in the ford ones, except the name of the town across the bottom.

why change the face?

[RCSignals]

The photos from the original post seem to be gone. Anyone know where they might be?

[RF Overlord]

I looked quickly at the ones at work, I couldnt see a difference in the ford ones, except the name of the town across the bottom.

why change the face?The OEM Ford gauges are back-lit. The aftermarket AutoMeter ones have perimeter lighting and are not as easy to ready at night. The UltraLite II gauges are LED back-lit and more closely emulate the instrument panel.

RC, Logan did an "upgrade" a few years ago and a lot of the older pix were lost. I believe they're in cyberspace now...

[vegasmarauder]

I found the photos I used when I wrote the original guage conversion. I will try and upload them again..

[RCSignals]

I found the photos I used when I wrote the original guage conversion. I will try and upload them again..

Thank You! :)

[PRCARGUY]

Thank You! :)
Ditto!!!:bows:

[kode3]

I'm really not trying to hijack this post but...

Has anyone had there autometer gauge lights flicker a little? I noticed it tonight, the orther lights on the dash don't do it.

[fastblackmerc]

I'm really not trying to hijack this post but...

Has anyone had there autometer gauge lights flicker a little? I noticed it tonight, the orther lights on the dash don't do it.

Mine haven't flickered in 4 years. You have a bad connection in the sockets(s) or the connection(s).

[J D]

I think its time to raise the dead (thread) a little.

I just did this mod over the weekend and I love the results, completely stock appearance, and now I get to see my engine's proverbial blood pressure!

Though I must confess in the end I cheated, did like Wes showed, and just ring terminal-ed the oil sender.

And secondly I kinda wish I saved my stocker for posterity and just bought an MM(fake) gauge over eBay, junkyard, or off a member, to operate on, cause its absolutely mutilated now.

Oh and it was spot on that I practiced on the MM one first as you get to make all your mistakes, and you WILL make mistakes unless you're a pro, in which case you don't even need this do-entation.

[Dave Compson]

I was one of the first to have the man himself to this mod to my car. Thanks again vegasmarauder! It's been a while, and i still LOVE the mod! It has been working without a hitch since he put it in.

Thanks again,

And by the way... learn to use a phone man.

[bawazir]

Just started on mine, am just hopping the stock sender unit would be easy to remove :depress:

[Dave Compson]

Its a piece of cake to remove.

[RacerX]

Just started on mine, am just hopping the stock sender unit would be easy to remove :depress:
Just make sure you remove the sneedle pin and push back the framostat to get it out.

J/K! You'll have a small amount of oil come out. Clean around the sender unit so you don't push any dirt into the hole. Just be ready to install the new one quick.

[jdenning002]

And secondly I kinda wish I saved my stocker for posterity and just bought an MM(fake) gauge over eBay, junkyard, or off a member, to operate on, cause its absolutely mutilated now.



I have 2 if you want one...

I can't find the pics in the gallery... can someone post them please? the gauge and the sender. Thanks.

[vegasmarauder]

I reposted the pictures in the gallery under my user name and by keyword. I didn't realuze they went AWOL.

Oh, and sorry to bring back a long dead thread....

Oh and if you need a new sending unit, O'Reilly's has the correct 100 pound Auto Meter ones their performance setion.

[Gccch]

I Did a write up with Pics here
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/reviews/showproduct.php/product/25/sort/2/cat/12/page/1

Finally got this done tonight. Not difficult but not without frustrations. I'm glad it's in place. These were EXCELLENT instructions.

[BAD MERC]

Bump on this thread and mod. My real gauge just came in the mail. I am excited to get the real scoop on the oil pressure vitals.

[bluesboyst]

Are your pictures still available for the sending unit install? Does the current wire have to be cut to connect it to the sending unit?