Installing an Oil Pressure Sender

Overview:

This writeup was performed on a Redtop SR.

Tools:

– 26mm wrench/socket or an adjustable wrench
– ¾” wrench
– 14mm wrench
– 3/16” wrench
– Wire strippers and cutters
– Wire crimpers or soldering iron

Materials:

– Length of wire (18-gauge) long enough to run from your sensor location, through the firewall, and to your gauge location
– Ring terminal
– Teflon tape
– Star/lock washer

Procedure:

First, jack up your car, or drive up some ramps as I did. Engage the parking brake and chock the rear wheels on both sides and in the front and rear using four chocks total.

Next, disconnect your battery.

Then, locate your stock sensor by the oil filter and remove it. Your SR will not leak oil from the hole (unless you start the motor) so you don’t have to drain the oil. This sensor requires a 26mm socket/wrench, or an adjustable wrench (which I used).

Here it is removed.

Here is the stock sensor, the oil pressure sensor that came with the Autometer gauge, and the adapter for the sensor (the sensor diameter is too large to just thread it into the stock location next to the oil filter), nuts to attach the wire lead for the gauge to the top of the sensor, and some Teflon tape.

Here is the stock sensor installed on the adapter (using the ¾” wrench and the adjustable or 26mm wrench) to cap it off (I didn’t have a plug for it). When you wrap the threads with Teflon tape remember to wrap it in the opposite direction that you will tighten the threads. Clockwise tightens, so wrap the tape counter-clockwise. Wrap it around the threads with 4-6 complete rotations to ensure a good seal.

Thread just the adapter and stock sensor into the previous location by the oil filter using the ¾” wrench. This adapter has two locations that you can use to thread the Autometer sensor into. As you can see, one (the bottom one) is plugged off. Tighten the adapter down, remembering to leave the open port facing upwards and slightly angled towards the firewall. Space is tight and due to the size of the Autometer sensor it only fits in this area at this angle. Thread the Autometer sensor on by hand and tighten it with the 14mm wrench.

Using the wire strippers and crimpers (or soldering iron), attach the ring terminal onto a length of wire (18-gauge wire is fine)

Here comes the fun part. Place the ring terminal onto its location atop the sensor, place the star/lock washer on after that, tighten the nut down by hand and then use the 3/16” wrench for final tightening. This is a very tight area. I found that going over the top of the starter allowed for better access to tighten the nut by hand and with the wrench. You can still hook-up your stock sensor, but since I didn’t do the wiring harness, I don’t know if the wire for the idiot light was even left in. After that you are all done (it’s hard to see, but the wire is attached now).

now that everything is hooked up, check for operation.