My '71 doesn't appear to have a temp guage or idiot light. How are we supposed to know if the car is overheating? Is there an idiot light that I'm overlooking?

not supplied on a factory car. add your own choice. no other idiot light besides oil pressure and alternator.

Ah-ha....that 'splains it.

Thanks.

Will a newer stock gauge ('74 ~ '76) work if I add the appropriate sender? Car is a 914/6 clone. Not sure if the stock 914 temp gauge will work with a 911 oil temp sender...

You usually have to match the gauge & sender. Do you know what gauge the sender goes with?

I'm looking at a stock '74 ~ '76 914 gauge cluster.

since you have a conversion, consider either a -6 combo gauge (oil temp on top) or a 911 combo gauge (oil pressure and temp). problem with these is brake warning and fuel level

You need a matched set with a gauge and sender.
We do those all the time, it usually costs around $90.
Replaced the temp gauge in this one:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=86252
Or you could step up to a quad gauge:

Ohhh...I like! Unfortunately, the price is probably out of my range. Can you add a temp gauge to the top of my stock ('71) gauge? The hand-brake warning light is the only thing sitting in there now.

There are a few options:
1. Cheapo $75: I add the new gauge to your existing setup and remove the red lamp (your cover bezel will still have the brake icon) No brake lamp though unless you use your oil or gen lamp
2. Medium: $65 send in a 914 combo gauge with tamp in the top and it will be converted to new guts that work with a modern sender (best choice)
The senders are $26.00 each in addition to the gauge.

Mark

Add instruments- stop guessing.

BUT if you don't have them pay attention to the engine...

When it shuts off if it ticks, pops and makes other funny noises as it cools down, it's hot.

Pay attention to power, if the car runs much better when cold and then the power falls off at temperature, more than likely it's hot.

If the fuel mileage is horrible, you are probably running hot.
If the engine has any smell at all after you shut it down, its probably hot.

I don't need gauges to tell if an engine is hot, but I use them anyway.

Car runs beautifully. I took it for a 1 hr. fast/hard cruise in 90+ weather the other day on its maiden voyage. The only smells are where an oil leak is hitting the headers/exhaust.

Still, knowing that I could monitor the temp & oil pressure would make me feel a little better.

When it bursts into flames it is a good indication that it was running to hot.

Ok that was for dramatic presence but it's not out of the relm of possability.

Not sure how this happened but my car once sucked up a plastic bag...Ralph's I

think.Sucked right on to the fan. It doesn't cool very well when the fan is covered

with plastic. I would not have heard it if the top was on. Guages are your Friends.

If you just want to know where you oil temp is getting to, you can get a dipstick replacement that shows the oil temp on a guage at the top of the stick.

However, there has been much discussion here regarding the value of oil temperatures (poor) verses cylinder temp (high). You can get a single CHT with a remote guage for a few hundred bucks. If you need to monitor engine temps, this is highy recommended.

A vendor here also sells a four sensor CHT package - a little more expensive, but it all depends on how important your engine temps are to you.

Stay cool!



Eric

Here is an early temp/press/CHT gauge with the previous generation font.

Nice.

I've only seen the "temp guage dipsticks" for 4's. Do they make them for 6's?

If you installed only one CHT sender, where is the best location? Can you install the sender with the motor in?

How much is that gauge? That's exactly what I need.

Go here:
http://members.aol.com/bigmarkdesign/products

They start at $265 with your fuel gauge core. We have some cores that we can use as well. If you already have some VDO gauges, we can use them as well and save you some money. We have built hunderds of these! Thanks all
Alot of guys think that is too much money, but NH speedo charges $500.00 for one. The retail cost of the gauges guts alone is almost $100.00.
Mark

Good question. I asked this same question a short while ago, and this is the explanation I received:

Cylinders #3 & #4 get slightly less cool air and Cylinder #3 is further in the back, so it is expected to run slightly hotter. As a result, the FI CHT is located on cylinder 3 too.

Since cylinder 3 is prone to running hotter, it is the best location for the CHT.

I don't know about the -6 dipstick. Most people here will tell you it's a bad idea, since you have to get out of the car to check the temp. But as a backup (and calibrating tool) it seems to me to not be such a bad idea.

Eric Read