Write-Up: Fuel / Oil Pressure Sending & Gauges

does anyone know where exactly to "tap" into the fuel system with a sending unit for an electric fuel pressure gauge? Im thinking the fuel lines on top of the s/c. Any other ideas?

also, the oil pressure gauge is mechanical and has a vaccum hose....should I use copper lines instead or just make sure I seal the fittings with the vaccuum hose? I know oil is alot hotter than the air moving through my boost vac line.

finally.....when installing the fitting into the oil pressure sensor spot, do I need to do this during an oil change? Ive heard that I should, but there shouldn't be much oil coming out of the hole (when I take off the low pressure sensor) should there? the engine will be off, and cold, obviously. I will be trying to save the fitting by using a t-fitting so the gauge and the idiot light still work.

DO NOT use the mechanical oil pressure gauge inside of the car. Sell it, and pickup an electronic gauge. The sending unit will bolt where the stock unit sits. You don't have to drain the oil when you do it, just be quick about it.

As for the fuel pressure gauge, you can remove the stem from the test port in the front of the fuel rails, and run a line from there to the sending unit.

-Rob

RivMan wrote:

DO NOT use the mechanical oil pressure gauge inside of the car. Sell it, and pickup an electronic gauge. The sending unit will bolt where the stock unit sits. You don't have to drain the oil when you do it, just be quick about it.

As for the fuel pressure gauge, you can remove the stem from the test port in the front of the fuel rails, and run a line from there to the sending unit.

-Rob

i know why everyone doesnt like the mechanical oil gauge...but the electric one is not available in full sweep display like my other sport-comp gauges. Yes, Im that picky.

should I just put it in the a-pillar so I will spot a leak early if one pops up?

Started on the gauges today....well really just the gauge mounting while inside....too hot outside!

The first pic is just the center peice removed from the center console.


Here it is with the insert just laying in place


Here is me cutting out the center peice so the gauges will fit in the din panel holes

cutting continued, had to cut out cigarette lighter hole


gauges


center panel cut

din panel fitting...


had to removed spring loaded flap so gauges would fit


gauges installed with compressor gauge/controller in bottom...im sure another one will fill the in the rest in the future

electrical work:

here is the power wire for the fuel gauge and scangauge. will run them to the cigarette light power wires since its been removed. It should be key hot right?


lights: here is the light for the compressor....using a red bulb cover for now.


I soldered the wires to this bulb. it is at the end of the link of power for the lights of the gauges

lights for autometer gauges with green covers, they will all be green in the future to match my stock gauges. these bulbs lock in, unlike the compressor bulb.


bulb lock into compressor psi gauge


wired up the autometer gauge lights.


the fuel pressure sending unit wont screw into my fuel rail test port...gotta find an adaptor. so hardware and autostore run tonight.

thread seal on the oil pressure gauge piping/adaptors


thread seal on the fuel pressure sender...w/ new adaptor peice. I dont think it will work - but the guy at the autostore said it for brakes. Maybe I will luck out...but probably either leak fuel everywhere or get no reading since it wont open the test port.

well, the fuel pressure adapter didn't work. But I ordered the right one online with bulb covers so all gauges are green lit now. According to the autometer "tech", I should have the right adapter for tap into the fuel rail test port.
here is the oil sensor on the oil filter houses (with wiring harness unplugged). I dont have the tool to get off the sensor or the adapter to keep the sensor/idiot light.


So only the scangauge functions - and is always on! I dont even have the red power wire harness hooked up.


Thats all powered by obdi ports Gotta unplug it from the OBDI port everytime I turn off the car - lame.


top views of panel install. Trying not to tangle up wires. Im not a patient guy either. Had to cut alot of peices off inside console area. Gauges kept popping out.

power wires run under dash/kickpanel.



done for today. Gauges are in, they have power/light/dimmer all setup. Just not pressure hose or fuel pressure wiring to engine bay. Rather have it sit in interior then dangle in engine bay. Waiting for parts again.....

I used the Tee with the stock oil pressure sender. It worked great. I just used a channel-lok for the install. Of couse it was easy with the engine out of the car.

I used yellow teflon tape to seal it. It looks like you have some specialized sealer...

still working on this crap...cant believe it.

I have bought 2 "adaptors" from autometer and NOTHING fits that god damned schrader valve. I got a banjo bolt that the autometer "tech" told me would work. The dumbass failed to realize that my car isn't an import Of course this is AFTER I told him what I drive.

so I order the braided SS line, and that actually screws on the schrader valve, but doesnt open it! There is nothing in the hose to press the needle in the schrader valve to open it. NO ONE seems to know what kind of adapter it takes. Napa, o'reilly, autometer...not a soul.

The plunger in the valve is screwed into the body of the fuel rail, you can take a pair of needle nose pliers and catch the edges of the valve to unscrew the plunger. After that you can just screw in the stainless line and use that.

-Rob

okay, I got the plunger out. pliers didn't work but two tiny flat tip screwdrivers did.

here is a couple shots of the fuel pressure engine bay installation. The first one shows where the SS line stops on the and the wiring starts. I wrapped some wire protectant thats black and is hard to see.




will get some pics of the oil pressure line up soon.

looks good bro

i like the placement of the gauges, is that where the ash trya was or where the tape holder was?

SuperRiv07 wrote:

i like the placement of the gauges, is that where the ash trya was or where the tape holder was?

the ashtray location. I got the switch/gauge for my airshocks where the tapeholder was. Looks like shit but I got a buddy who owns a custom car shop and gonna get him to make a custom panel for my gauges. Just gotta wait until Im sure if Im getting anymore gauges or not.

I wanna get rid of my a/f ratio gauge, replaced my boost gauge with a boost/vac one, and get a volt gauge. And if I decide to go with nitrous, I need a nitrous gauge too. The nitrous gauge will probably put off making that panel for sometime. Dont wanna have to make more than one.

http://www.casperselectronics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CEI&Product_Code=102071&Category_Code=

There is a T for hooking up to the fuel rail for a gauge or whatever else. Also look at the related items, particularly the "brass gauge adaptor"

That seems to be one solution for the rail tapping issue...

yea, Im gonna have to re-look at this issue as Im about to install my IC and new fuel rails. Haven't even looked to see if there is a connection port on the new rails.

Have you finished the oil pressure gauge installation yet? I would love to put an oil pressure gauge in my Riviera. My current Buick has low oil pressure and thanks to it just having a dummy light I didn't know about it until it was too late to really do anything. I'd just want to use an electronic gauge, but I'm not sure exactly where the stock sending unit is located. If someone could post a writeup on installing an electronic oil pressure gauge that would be great.

GMFreak8 wrote:

Have you finished the oil pressure gauge installation yet? I would love to put an oil pressure gauge in my Riviera. My current Buick has low oil pressure and thanks to it just having a dummy light I didn't know about it until it was too late to really do anything. I'd just want to use an electronic gauge, but I'm not sure exactly where the stock sending unit is located. If someone could post a writeup on installing an electronic oil pressure gauge that would be great.

yes, the gauges have been done for a while. My dummy light didn't even work at all. When I unplugged and removed the dummy light sending unit the light never came on.
electric vs. mechanical gauge isn't that different. The sending unit of the electric threats into the same place the hose of the mechanical gauge threads.

Hey guys, my dad has a 99 PA with 3.8L Supercharged L67. It also has an engine information center in the dash that shows among other things how the oil pressure is doing in real time. Well the oil pressure value no longer changes. The oil level is correct and there are no noises coming from the motor, so I figure that it must be the oil pressure sending unit or connector. I checked my FSM (even though its for a 96) and I could not find the location of the oil pressure sending unit in it. This is what I found on the internet...

is this correct 96-99?

Hopefully someone will post soon but if not I hope the following is helpful.

If you have to find it *now* I think the easiest thing to do is *first* to look at a parts catalog. For instance rockauto.com and there are others. The OPS is pictured for the 99 PA, as well as for many/most of the earlier ones. It shows there's a different oil pressure sender for 97-99 versus 96 and earlier. So -- you can use the picture on Rockauto.com to recognize the OPS when you see it.

How will you see it? After you look at the part picture on line, then look on the engine block, actually. There is not much block surface area for any connectors or sensors actually, and oil pressure is always monitored from the high pressure side of the oil galley (that is, *not* around the oil pan). So that thing has to be screwed into the block somewhere, it's probably up kinda high and either on an end or between cylinder bores.

It may take some doing but won't take all that long to find the sensor. Although it may be hidden by an engine accessory (the alternator?!?) there are not that many wires into the block above the oil pan.

good luck

Albertj

Yes, that is where the sender is, regardless of type. Our Rivs have the simple switch, which is ridiculously oversized, while the PA will have the variable sensor type which the FSM shows to actually be shorter...