My performance, MPH, and Voltage Guages work, but my fuel, and oil pressure read at zero, and my temp reads at max. Any suggestions. This has been ongoing since I put the engine together. Where are the sensors for oil pressure and Temp located?

Robb
66 cuda

When you say performance, you mean aftermarket ? Most aftermarket gauges, if they don't come with their own sensors, are made for GM sensors (or whatever the guage brand) not mopar. Either you have to retrofit the proper sensor on or get a mopar specific gauge.

But to answer the question directly - oil pressure is screwd into the oil pump just below the filter, pointing towards the firewall. Follow the wire coming from the harness. Coolant is screwd directly into the front of the head from the top down, behind the thermostat.

I think that some early barracudas came with a "performance" gauge (that was really a vaccuumeter)

If that's what you're talking about, all your other gauges are fed thru a voltage limiter on the back of the instrument cluster. If your limiter went bad there's a huge chance that your fuel and oil pressure gauges are toast. The temp one peging would be either a sign of malfunctioning limiter or the temp sender wire shorting or sender toasted.

Do a search on "limiter 7805" keywords and that would lead you to an electonic replacement I fabbed for the mechanic limiter... much more accurate and safe than the old fashion one (plus you and only you'd know is not a OEM piece and you wallet won't be paying ridiculous prices for a piece of tin with a tiny wire wrapped around! )

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

argentina-slantsixer is right: the 66 cudas had the performance gauge which was pretty much just a vacuum gauge. 66 was the first year for them (they changed the instrument cluster after the 65's), I'm not sure how many years they used it, though. I think it was a pretty good idea, I kind of wonder why more cars didn't have a vacuum gauge; they can tell you a lot about what's going on under the hood.

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you know how it is, altitude, weather, air density, etc, can affect the vacuum readings. I think that the customers with not really good information on the hand must have been returning the car to the dealers in a high, warm, or low pressure areas... not to mention going to bed with the "performance gauge" reading nice and then wake up one morning and dicovering that you've "lost" performance overnight... heheheh.....

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

I got sick of messing with the gauges and went all aftermarket, and crafted my own housing. this was the PROTOTYPE, but you'll get the idea:



the real one in my car has a much better housing, and is black now. I make these for people now and then.

sick6

yersterday I was cleaning my spam storage and found an old, really old email from you with those pix. My appologies for not having answered in timely maneer.

Since you make those, you fab just the face or the whole thing? I'm asking because I was tempted with rocky mountain dashes but A) pricey and B) they don't make the measures I want... wich are 2 4" units and 5 2 1/16" units. I need a complete thing, bezel and face. You can come up with one? PM or e-mail me (now I've instructed my inbox to not consider you as spam. hehehe sorry )

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

So with some of the guages working and some not, is it still possible it is the regulator, or should I be looking at something else?

The car was for some reason converted to a Slant six in its history, it was a V8 from the factory, perhaps some of the sensors were not hooked up, I will check it out tonight.

Is it possible to switch to aftermarket guages, without too much difficulty? White face guages would look pretty cool.

Robb

argentina-slantsixer; I'll send you a PM as soon as I can.

RobbAdams; in reference to difficulty switching to aftermarket gauges, that is a matter of opinion. some people think the work is worth the result, some prefer the stock look over everything. aftermarket gauges can be pricey depending on if you buy a set and whom you by them from. I have found that PAW is the cheapest I know of, there might be someone cheaper but I don't personally know of any. if you are handy with electrical it really isn't that bad.

I suggest you ask slant six dan (since he is quite familiar with mopar electrical) and 440 magnum also to let you know what you are in for.

I've been going through this same thing. On my 73 Swinger, only the temp and fuel gauges go through the limiter. When I bought the car, the temp didn't work, and the fuel showed 1/2 when full, and went to empty after about 4 gallons were consumed. The voltage meter and oil light work fine.

Right away I bought a mechanical temp gauge so I didn't have to worry about electronics. Eventually I replaced the fuel sender, float, the whole works in the gas tank, just to find out that wasn't the problem. I found a voltage limiter in a 72 Swinger at a wrecking yard, replaced mine, and the gas gauge worked for about a week or two.

Now it doesn't work at all, not even showing 1/2 tank when full. I fabbed up a new limiter using the technique argentina-slantsixer showed on this site, but still no luck. Something else is wrong now that I have to figure out. or, I may just get an aftermarket fuel gauge and forget about it.

Anyway, I would try the new voltage limiter first, if that doesn't do the trick, then look at what you want to do from there.

did you get my PM?

This looks like the way to go. I am also sick of messing with the factory gauges. Instead of having a bunch of gauges and the tach spread out all over and dead gauges sitting in front of me, making a new gauge housing might be the way to go. I may keep the factory speedometer though, since mine works fine and speedometers are a little pricey.

I was reading in another post about how not all fuel gauges will work with Mopar, and sure enough, when I was looking at gauges on Summit, most said something about working with GM from "year-year ". Also, most are 0 ohms (empty)-90 ohms (full), and if I'm not mistaken our are 0-70. I don't really see this as much of an issue though.

My question, what fuel gauges (and electrical temp gauges) work best with Mopars? by the way, I have a 73 Swinger wtih a 68 engine.

Just use either a fuel gauge that reads 73 ohms empty, 10 full, or get a programable gauge. Autometer sells both.

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vm

that may be a problem. it would fit in my housing, but is not the same type of mount. the plastic cover over a stock gauge is integral with the backing plate, whereas my system cuts out the backing plate and replaces it with a new one.

you would have to cut out the existing cover only from the old backing plate, figure how to hold it to a now "hanging" gauge, and fit it in. It really could be done, but it would be very time consuming.

OK, I found the oil pressure guage, hooked it up, and it did go all the way to the top a couple of times, and has not worked since. I also located the post a nut where I believe the temp sensor is, but am no finding the wire? I assume it comes from the firwall somewhere. what other wires are grouped with it from the firwall, perhaps I can locate it. What colour would the wire be?