SPA Temp Gauge reads low

[gruffalo]

Hi All,

I am sure I remember a thread either here on on Face book about thse with SPA temp gauge saying it reads 10C below the ECU sensor.

I was wondering if anyone has found a fix for this, there was some speculation about the SPA sensor being shielded from the true water temp by not sticking out into the water flow far enough but I cannot remember if there was a resolution to the issue.

[gruffalo]

pmessling said:

I've found the gauge and ECU temps to be pretty good. This is using a Bosch Motorsport coolant temp. And as for the flow question around the sensor yes, even worse on the ACT water manifolds the boss is too long and the sensor doesn't make it to the end of the boss.

I have the Bosch sender as well but I also have the ACT stainless coolant pipes so I think there in lies the problem.

I spoke to the tech support team at SPA and they don't do a longer sender so I guess I will live with it and turn the car off at 100C on the Spa gauge.

unless I can find someone to reposition the sender boss on the coolant pipes so the sender can actually get into the flowing coolant.

[gruffalo]

WIL35 said:

It could have been my thread:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Unfortunately haven't fixed it! I looked through all the SPA manuals and there doesn't seem to be any way of recalibrating it, although I did manage to stop the oil pressure reading from flicking around too much by increasing the time lag

I spoke to tech support at SPA and because of the way thermistors are non linear in there output re-calibrating the gauge is not possible, it actually has to use an algorithm to work out what the display should be reading so re-calibration would mean reprogramming the chip inside that does this.

Apparently they use a very accurate Thermistor, less than .1% error so the answer is to machine the boss down which I will get done at the next service.

[gruffalo]

I am getting the boss in the ACT pipe machined down next week so it should read correctly going forward.

[gruffalo]

Adambul said:

Do you have a cost for the machining work at this stage?

Not much, it is being done at a local engineering works near me.

Last time I used them to spark erode all the bleed nipple from my callipers and that cost me £20 so much the same I would think.

[gruffalo]

I have been trying to find find somewhere to get the boss machined down but every where says that the only real solution would be to get the pipe with the correct boss already fitted.

I spoke with ACT and they are happy to do a production run of some designed for the SPA sensor at the same price as the original item.

So the question who wants one?

If there is some interest Tim will get them made.

[gruffalo]

I do have an adapted but the whole this is so long that the sensor is at least an inch from he water flow and so is measuring the temp of the metal rather than the water.

Even looking at your photos the boss looks way too long for the sensor to be in the water flow.

[gruffalo]

pmessling said:

They were just an example of what I made at the time. I'm saying that if a simple engineer like myself can think of a solution to the problem of what I said above then you can still use the adapter.

Simple was would be to cut the excess off. Tap the remaining and use adapter again which will lower the sensor into the coolant.

If you want to go all out then a new boss could be welded in.

I certainly wouldn't be buying a whole new pipe. Not for half hour on the lathe and another half hour Tig welding with back purge.

So was all you had to do to get a proper reading to cut down the adapted and tap it to get everything to seat correctly?

I have about a centimetre of thread showing on the adapter and probably two centimetres of the sensor thread showing.

But my point is that ACT will also make pipes for the gauge sensor so if people want a pipe that actually fits the sensor out of the box does any one want one.

I have no lathe or welder and so by the time I have paid someone to do the modification for me I can buy the pipe with the correct boss fitted so peeps can get an accurate reading.

[gruffalo]

WIL35 said:

I would be interested seeing as it looks like I can't fix it myself with a hacksaw and tapping the thread in the tube a bit deeper. Anyway, it would probably leak and need lashings of PTFE tape!

Presumably ACT will sell the pipe individually, rather than as the set of both pipes they currently have on their website?

That is my understanding after a chat with Tim.

A quick edit to add that talking to Tim at ACT he will offer the pipes individually and will indeed stock them for future upgrades.

He is waiting to hear back from the factory about when they can supply them.

Edited by gruffalo on Friday 29th January 09:59

[gruffalo]

Just had a message from ACT saying that the correct pipes to make the SPA gauge read correctly are in stock so if you have an SPA Gauge and want it to read correctly give ACT a call.

Mine is in the post now.

[gruffalo]

TwinKam said:

Does anyone who has now bought this new design want to sell their original capillary type ACT pipe?

Yes, planning on swapping mine over next weekend.

Drop me a mail.

[gruffalo]

pmessling said:

clearly wasn't purged, look at how rough it is where the weld has penetrated

Yes but it works :-)