SPA Dual Gauges

[denyer00]

I've just been on the phone to SPA regarding their dual digital oil pressure/water temp gauges. They say their gauges use electrical sensors rather than the direct sensors used in the standard gauge. Does anyone know how you would get the SPA gauge to work with the Cerbera? I recall a member having one installed but couldn't find any information.

Danny

[tvrfan007]

I have an SPA gauge, but not in the Cerbera. It's a dual oil pressure/temperature. The pickups are indeed electrical but the quality is absolute top notch and am chuffed with mine (the warning lights feature is helpful on track when you're giving it an italian tune up).

I'm no expert (yet) but I imagine the Cerbera will use capillary for the oil and almost certainly electrical for the water, from a CTS.

[denyer00]

Yeah the cerbera uses a capillary for water temp and a direct reading oil pressure with a thin black hose. Both are obviously analogue, however my options are to either buy a new standard gauge, get mine fixed from speedycables (4 weeks turnaround) or buy the SPA one. The SPA one is preferable but I'm not sure how I would connect it to the car I.e where to install the sensors and what to do with the oil pressure pipe.

Edited by denyer00 on Wednesday 3rd November 16:36

[tvrfan007]

I would imagine you can remove the capillary and blank. Not sure whether it's T pieced or flanged. If flanged have an adaptor made up to convert the almost certainly differing threads of the sensors to the OE.

[shpub]

I have the SpA instruments in my Wedge and they are superb.

The sensors will need to be tied into the liquids that they will be measuring. The temp sensor will prbably need an adapter and will screw into the same metal water pipe as the original temp capillary. IIRC it is a 3/8 bp thread.

The original oil pipe capillary will need to be removed and the output from the engine connected to the pressure sensor. You will need to get an adapter or a special capillary made to do this.

The cheapest option is the Speedy cables route. I bought a cheap oil pressure guage to use while mine was being repaired and blanked off the temp sensor. That way I can at least have an oil presure readings. I could hear the fans come on so that was a rough temp guage.

[warpig]

fitted the spa digital oil pressure/water temp guage in my cerb 2 years ago
(speed six)only hassle was re drilling and tapping a new adapter for the water temp sensor.
temp has never read over 105, was getting 115+ with the capillary tube

[denyer00]

I think I'll send mine off to be repaired, where can I get a cheap oil pressure gauge from? I've seen chimaera ones on ebay, will they fit ok?

[shpub]

No. You need a mechanical oil pressure gauge. Chimp ones are electric. eBay is probably your best bet.

[denyer00]

Cheers, They don't seem to mention the sizing of the nut and threads, do they all tend to be the same size?

[gruffalo]

Send your broken gauge off to Speedy Cables, they repair them, takes a couple of weeks normally.

[shpub]

Denyer00

I am pretty sure I still have the one I used when I LS'd the Cerbera. If you want to borrow it, PM me.

[denyer00]

Pm sent

[brakedust]

if you want to get oil pressure and temp then you can fit a sandwich plate between your oil filter and the engine, there are normally 4 off-takes that you can plug various sensors into, the rest are blanked off.
As for water, you could most likely tap the original pickup.

[350Matt]

When I did this to my cerb I welded a boss onto the top of the oil filter housing and tapped it to take a water temp sensor and I had to make up a fitting which I then welded into the water pipe to get the temp sensor for the water, I then used a littel toggle switch to flick beween the two so I had oil and water temp on one gauge.

As for the pressure you can easily buy adaptors to mount the pressure sender onto the block - as the take off is in the Vee at the back of the engine