Thanks, can I change the stock water temp to electric, or it needs to stay mechanical? I think my stock oil sending unit may have had the line pop because yesterday I was changing my instrument panel bulbs to LED and I felt some really gross stuff behind the instruments like old oil.... I was able to change a bunch of bulbs by sticking my hand back through the radio hole and have not yet taken the instrument cluster our to finish the job. I was wondering what the gunk was and I wouldn't surprised if it was the original oil sending unit tubing burst. I do not have a red dummy light up though, not sure if I would or if the sending unit even works.
Both the stock gauge and idiot light senders are electric. They were never mechanical. Same for the oil pressure senders.
So, I am installing the gauges and had a few questions. One, I had three rubber band/elastomer looking things. I attached a picture. Are they meant to go around the gauge? Or are they just packaging rubber band? Also, the antisieze in the water temp packet blew up, I hope there won't be issues but wanted to see if anyone experienced that. I was going to add some Loctite thread locker with PTFE to the senders which I assume is OK versus that antisieze.
Those rubber bands are packaging, dump them. Locktite thread sealer is OK. You don't need much, too much might interfere with the sender grounding for an electrical gauge. I've used thread tape as well.
Larry, this may not be the right post however I am replacing my plastic lenses on my 70 GS for the sppedo and fuel dummy light instrument and for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to get them out of the clips without breaking something. I was thinking a small screwdriver and lubricating the three tabs on each instrument and then bending them back? I tried to query in the search but I do not see anything.
I figured it out, I just cleaned the tabs really well to get the 52 year old grime off then bent one tab back and I was able to pull out the plastic lense. I use a flathead screww driver and applied some force and it bent back. Just reverse the operation after the lense is in. Way better now with the new lenses. I also cleaned up the back of the instruments and cleaned the sockets really well. I was not sureif I should do something with the circuit board contacts but I cleaned them, they seemed OK. I will reinstall and make sure the LED lights work.
I read some pages here but did not get through them all. 70 Riviera with idiot lights. I have some gauges, I understand you can have the oil pressure idiot light and gauge working at the same time using a t fitting. I take it you cannot do that with the Coolant Temp as well? Its 2 sensors on the 455 right? One by the t stat which is in the water jacket for the coolant temp (Hot Idiot light) and then another one that registers the actual Engine temp, which would trigger the Stop Engine idiot light right?
The stop engine light is triggered by a switch threaded into the back of the cylinder head. It monitors the metal temperature. There are two openings in the front of the intake. One has the coolant temperature light, the other has a thermovacuum switch. Most eliminate the TV switch and use that for an actual temperature gauge.
Ah ok. Thanks! Yeah I would rather have both the light and gauge. I read your post about removing the tv switch and how it will make the engine run cooler and better. Sounds like I will need to adjust timing though. It will have to wait for now until I get a timing light.
It is part of the Transmission Controlled Spark emissions system. This is from the 72 Chassis manual but 70 and 71 works the same. It basically decreases performance and gas mileage in the interest of emissions. Note TV switch means Thermo-Vacuum switch.
Better off without it then! Though Terry did regraph my dissy and set up the Rochester to perfection, maybe that was disconnected too...never know now. thanks.
I modified a tissue dispenser to have a hinged front, a hand-stamped aluminum panel & my gauges inside. Yes; it's going in my Buick but has a Pontiac emblem- sentimental attachment, as this dispenser was in my grandfather's '57 Star Chief.
Looks something like this and sits on top of the TB on the drivers front of the engine beside the t-stat housing close to the distributor. Has vac lines coming out of it. Here is the other thread on it Larry posted awhile back. Looks like it requires some timing adjustment when removed. https://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/ported-vacuum-switch-and-455-timing.319696/
I got this chinese quality product cheap for my 340 cui LeSabre: [/IMG] The fitings are 1/2-14 and 5/8-18. Does anybody happen to know the size of the port in the intake below or would I have to go with an upper coolant hose adapter with an additional probe port?
Alex, No, that is not a place for a coolant temperature sensor. Your arrow points to a plug on the intake manifold runner which only sees air/fuel mix downstream from the carburetor. Look to previous posts here (above) for proper coolant (water) temperature sensor location for your gauge. Devon
Thought so. My intake doesn´t seem to have any other blank port for the sender: So I guess I will use this one:
