Hi all
I am going to install a mechanical temperature gauge on my daughters and my mini's.
The adaptor below is a parallel thread and I am not sure how it is to seal in the head.
Do I just screw it in till it stops, use thread sealant or does the head have a tapered thread in it ?
The rest should be straight forward other than I don't have a hole in the fire wall big enough for the grommet that is supplied on the capillary line.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Just a note, I've had the bulb contact a part of the head as it goes in. I didn't realise what I was doing and it deformed the bulb a little.

I don't think it affected the operation, but I guess it should have by reducing the internal volume of the bulb. Anyway, watch out for that.

Just another question on this. I recently went to fit a mechanical gauge to my car. I grabbed an old head I had lying around and took it down to the auto shop. We pulled a few gauges out and test fit them in the head to make sure it would work as I was on a bit of a time schedule for the swap. The head I used to test fit had a tapered edge inside the temp sender hole that the sender bulb sat up against and then you could just screw the fitting on over the top and it sealed like a dream, and had the bulb sitting nicely in the middle of the coolant flow. I went to do this on the engine in my car and found that the head in the car did not have this tapered seat, so the bulb would not seat, and when the fitting was tightened over the bulb it would just wiggle about and leak coolant. Is this a common thing?

Cheers,
Keels.

Did you try using the TE5 adapter?

http://minisport.com.au/mini-temp-gauge ... -is-fitted

Mick, not good...the aim should be to have the bulb sitting in the coolant flow and not fouling any part of the head or block (depending whee you fit it)..."deformed" may mean you have effected its operation or calibration.

I would be doing a trial fit and measure without the adaptors first to see how deep you can insert the bulb. Then carefully insert into the adaptor (some plumbers tap on the threads is OK) and add spacers under the bulb thread or adaptor if necessary.

I didn't try using an adaptor. This was sort of a last minute decision so I was just trying to use standard parts from the auto shop. Decided on Thursday Night I needed a mech temp gauge for a 3hr road trip on Friday morning.

I've just had a look at that adaptor and it seems to be exactly what I need to make it work. I just thought it was weird that one head sealed perfectly and the other hadn't a snowballs chance. I'm pretty sure they were even the same casting number.

Cheers,
Keels.

That sounds like a good idea if you're going on a road trip - If I only I had mine installed the other week for my road trip. It came the day before I left and I thought 'nah she'll be right'... Famous last words haha.

Good luck

James

Yes, this was about 22 years ago, and the bulb was longer than normal, maybe it had been repaired?

That sounds like a good idea if you're going on a road trip - If I only I had mine installed the other week for my road trip. It came the day before I left and I thought 'nah she'll be right'... Famous last words haha.

Good luck

James