Temperature Indicator

retrodriver · Post by **retrodriver** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:24 pm

I know this has been covered many times, but my BX will become my daily driver from the 1st of next month, and it will make its 1st long journey down to Newquay quite soon, 4 up and loaded with kit. So....I want a temp gauge, where can I buy one with the correct size sender for the radiator etc, I have read the guide on bxclub.co.uk and it seems simple enough to stick it in once ive got the bits! thanks.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 7:46 pm

There was some mention here before of a gauge made by 'Tim' - a company I believe, not a bloke. A few people fitted them so maybe that fits directly.
The sender has to replace the sensor in the thermostat. When I bought a gauge I tapped the sensor to fit the new sender. If only the bloody thing had worked - was a nice digital gauge with a green LED read out to match the display on the Mk.1 clock. Only read one temp though - 25!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:11 pm

Do you have any more info on your gauge Todd? The sender is probably a thermistor which (usually!) decrease resistance as the temperature increases. So if yours is reading -25°C then it coiuld be telling you that there is a high (i.e. infinate) resistance somewhere in the circuit. If you are over for the National bring it over and I'll bring some temeprature kit and I'm certain we can fix it. Maybe even give it a calibration!

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:25 pm

Mat wrote

If you are over for the National bring it over and I'll bring some temeprature kit and I'm certain we can fix it. Maybe even give it a calibration!

Thanks, that would be excellent Mat, especially after a few foamy pints of 'Stoat's Knuckle', unfortunately I sent it back, hoping for a replacement. Called them today ( they're based in Alderney??) and it hasn't arrived, two weeks later..

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:46 pm

I want a temp gauge, where can I buy one with the correct size sender for the radiator etc,

The simplest way, if you can get the secondhand parts, is the BX DIY pages suggestion - using a sensor and gauge from a Pug 205 GTi - there's rather more chance of finding those in a scrapyard than a BX GTi or similar nowadays...

The sensor fits in the thermostat housing, not the radiator. That's the fan temp switch at the bottom of the radiator.

pitman · Post by **pitman** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 9:28 pm

I bought one from "Tim" ...

Don't remember if it was from ebay, Halfrods, or somewhere else but many motor shops should stock one.

The sensor of that gauge had a few adaptors. I don't remember which of the original sensors I have taken out. There is one for the lower and the higher temperature warning.

Some people even drilled a new hole into the thermostat housing.

Then you need to get the cable from the sensor into the cockpit and find a connector for the gauge itself and for the backlight (or both together).

On a MK1 BX, the gauge fits nicely on the bottom left side from the steering wheel.

And, at the beginning, I also had connectivity problems. Needed a few attempts over a week o so to get the gauge working reliably.

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:56 am

The beauty of the swap-in Veglia gauge on a Mk 2 BX is that you need one extra wire, swap one switch for a same-diam sensor, and that's it (assuming you don't mind the business of removing & dismantling the instrument binnacle - a rite-of-pasage for the BX Mk2 owner - substituting the extreme r/h instruments module, and adding that extra wire). No extra bit's'n'bobs to find a home for.

All quite different on a Mk1 though, I'd willingly concede.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Mon May 04, 2009 6:16 pm

If any Mk.1 owners are thinking of fitting a gauge this is one that I've fitted. I bought it, as explained above for the green LED read out to match the clock ( which will probably be just as unreadable on bright days) and it took a while to find one.
The first one they sent didn't work but I've just fitted the replacement and everything seems fine now. It sits just beneath the binnacle - same position as Pitman suggested and doesn't look too out of place as I thought a traditional style gauge would. Hope it lasts longer than the summer!

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