I'm trying to figure out how to install an electrical oil pressure gauge. Is this something that just plugs into the OBD2 port or do you still need to tap into the oil supply somewhere?

I found this post with an install guide but it doesn't specify if it's for an electrical or mechanical gauge.


I plan on buying these parts, will I need anything else?
Oil Pressure Gauge
Boost Gauge
Gauge Pods


Will I need either of these things?
Boost Tap
Oil Pressure Sender


Is the oil pressure gauge I posted actually an electrical gauge or is it mechanical? If it's the later can anyone suggest a similar electrical gauge?

If anyone can point me to a specific thread about installing these it would be super awesome.

 

The post you linked is for installing the Craven/Marshall gauge kit, those pressure and temp gauges are electrical. The Marshall boost gauge I have is mechanical.

The prosport gauges you linked are both electrical and have the senders (converts the mechanical pressure to electrical signal) included in the kit. I haven't seen a mechanical oil pressure gauge in years. Yes if you use those gauges you will need the appropriate adapters to tap into the boost and oil pressure ports to connect the senders. Read the instructions from Craven and the post you linked on installing these. The nice thing about the Craven/Marshall kit is it matches the Mini interior perfectly. Installing any of these gauge kits will take some time under the hood and under the dash,

Another option is to go the OBD2 route, get an OBD-Bluetooth adapter and the Torque app for your phone and you're done. Do a search for details.

 

Thanks for the response, that makes more sense now. So it sounds like I'll need all 5 things I listed right?

I know about the phone options but I use my phone for Pandora and other things while driving. Plus the actual gauges look fancy

 

The N14/N18 engine does not have a factory oil pressure sender, only an "idiot" light on/off sender, AKA the "blown engine" light. Boost and engine coolant temp can be picked off by an OBDII guage like Edge CTS or ScanGaugeII, oil press and temp must be actually plumbed into the engine. I have the Edge CS and like it very much, great display and absolutely zero problems, plan to add oil press and poss temp either pillar-mount or tach-bracket n cups style.

 

I can add (or plumb) an oil pressure sensor into the engine using the Cravenspeed method and their adapter tho right? Or will I have to drill a hole into my engine?

 

Cal, please put the drill down and slowly step away .........
Just messin w/ ya buddy, no drilling is required, there are several companies that make pressure fitting adapters. I would look for something that T's in the original sender and new sender as close as possible to the block, you really want minimal dead-space so the sensor n sender respond as fast as possible. Sensor = gauge, sender = idiot light. Also make sure everything is metal, plastic has no place in an oiling system, loss of oil pressure after melting or splitting is fatal far too quickly.
Back in the day people used to use plastic line for the mech gauges and then have them crack or split and dump hot oil all over their dash and leg. Very unpleasant. I bet anybody in here over 40 or so thats been doin this a while remembers those. Any good stories?

 

Don't worry, if drilling was required, I'd pass on the gauge.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the sort of T you are referring to? As far as I can tell it goes before the sender and gives a tap for the sensor. The other hoes are filled with the metal screws.

 

Ok, so $78 seems a wee bit excessive for a hunk of aluminum for the oil pressure adapter. I've found this on eBay and was wondering if it's actually compatible or not. Does anyone have any cheaper suggestions for finding this adapter?

eBay Link

 

That won't work on a new MINI. It is for an A series engine, that is the engine in a classic Mini.

Like you, I looked all over when I put gages in my MINI and ended up going with the CravenSpeed adaptor.

MINI mods are a pretty small niche market and there are few alternatives.

The Cravenspeed adaptor has the correct metric threads and a proper "O" ring. The multiple ports allow you to get the adaptor tight and have a port you can use pointing the right way.

Dave

 

I realized that it was probably not compatible with current cars so I asked the seller if he has any that are and sent him the specs of the CravenSpeed one. Still waiting to hear back.

I went to PepBoys to find some paint and wandered back to the sparkplug non-foulers. It kinda seems like one of these might work, I'd have to drill a 1/8" hole into the side and tap it so it's threaded. But for $5, I'd say it's worth a try. Does anyone know the standard size of a sparkplug? I know it's the same thread as our O2 sensors, which I thought was 3/8" and probably the same thread as our oil sender.

 

Ok, new plan. That seller mentioned above has THIS for sale. It appears correct but is labeled for a R53. Does anyone know if it'll work? I'd have to put some loctite and maybe teflon tape around the threads to prevent any possible leaks.

 

It won't work. The Series two MINI engine oil sender threads are M16 - 1.5

Really, I'm cheap, I didn't want to buy the Cravenspeed adaptor either. I looked for alternatives, just like you. I ended up buying Cravenspeed's adaptor.

The only other way is to make one on a lathe.

Dave

 

:( Man, I just can't bring myself to spend $80 on a piece of metal. I guess I'll probably have to tho. Thanks for the help!

 

Cravenspeed's website says the adapter is 3/8 NPT, which is a standard tap for this type of application. If the R56 is the same, you are good to go. I would contact mattyzx and verify the 1st and 2nd Gen are identical, otherwise he may have one for that application.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LMA-Oil-Pres...item3f166b851b

 

PERFECT! Thanks!

 

Maybe not perfect, the thread is supposedly the same between the new and old engines but the location of the oil pressure sender changed so the CravenSpeed one has a little angle adapter with it so it all fits correctly on the 2011+

So I guess with the N14 engine you could buy the eBay one but with the N18 you need the CravenSpeed one. Oh well, it's probably built a little better anyways.

 

Cravenspeed sells two different oil pressure sender adaptors, one for the series one MINIs (3/8" pipe threads) and one for the series two MINIs (M16 - 1.5 straight threads). The threads are not the same.

That's a really tight space that the adaptor has to fit in, it's why there are six, 1/8" pipe, ports with plugs. This allows you to get access to at least two of those ports, with the adaptor screwed tight.

The Cravenspeed adaptor is steel, not aluminum or brass.

I was able to use two of the ports, one for oil temperature and one for oil pressure. I had to mount my oil pressure sender remotely using two feet of 1/4" hydraulic hose, in order to have enough room for the two senders.

You can see where I mounted the oil pressure sender in this photo, it is by the strut tower, after everything is tucked away the hose and the pressure sender are not visible.



Here is a photo of the Marshal gages mounted in my home made gage pod.





Dave

 

Dave, what mount and gauges did you use for the total kit? And what was the total outlay? They look kick-a$$, I like it very much.

Im not downing the quality of the Cravenspeed piece, it looks well designed and machined, the o-ring is a nice touch, but I can buy a whole gauge & sender for what that block costs. And as long as it has no serious porosities (billet machined), a brass adapter is going to be just as good reliability-wise and may be less likely to seize into the engine block. If you're building a high-buck car, sure go for it, but a lot of us are running on pretty tight budgets, surely including me.

 

I bought my gages directly from Marshall.

http://www.marshallinstruments.com/c...per_gauges.cfm

The gages cost around $460

I made The mount from 1/8" aluminum and 2" ABS plastic pipe, that I already had in my scrap pile, so the mount only cost me my labor.



The 1/4" hydraulic hose cost about $10 at a local hydraulic supply shop.

I put anti-seize on the threads to the oil pressure adaptor, so I'm not worried about it getting stuck.

I already had a BSH oil catch can with the dual boost port for a PVC block off, so I didn't have to buy a boost tap.

I also used the Cravenspeed hotlink adaptor for the water temperature it cost $60, there are cheaper adaptors available online, but I was buying their pressure sender adaptor anyway, and the Cravenspeed adaptor has a fitting for the MINI's automatic transmission cooler.



I have about $500 in the set up.

Dave

 

Thanks for the info Dave, informative and detailed post.

 

Nice Dave, I saw your setup on another thread a while ago I think.

I got the CravenSpeed adapter today, I'm actually glad I spent the extra on it instead of a cheap eBay adapter. The thing weighs about 12lbs so I'm not too worried about its build quality lol. It also came with about 2' of copper tubing and some adapters so I can place the gauge sensor somewhere out of the way. It's a very nice setup and, I'd say, worth the price.

 

Ok, so I'm trying to install my oil pressure gauge following the "CravenSpeed Gauge Install for Dummies" guide but the guide is for a Justa. Where the hell is the stock oil sender? Is it buried under the turbo?

I've been poking around with a flashlight for 1/2 hour and I have yet to see a glimpse of the wires/copper tip of the stock sender.

What do I need to take out to get to this stupid thing? Does it need to be on a lift?

Picture, video, links, coming and doing it for me are all very helpful.

 

It's in the same place as on the Justa.

Look at the picture in post #18 there is a hose and a couple of unconnected wires going to it.

Easy to get to, right on the top of the motor.

Dave

 

Ok so,

You're saying it's here:


They're saying it's here:



Is it connected to this silver box in the middle of this picture?