Where in the UK to get a temp gauge repaired?

Post by: **Johnfm** » Wed May 21, 2014 9:20 pm

My temp gauge in the Plus 2 likes to read 120 degrees when the water temp isn't at all excessive.

I renewed the sender. No change. So I assume it is the gauge.

Any suggestions for a repair? Or is there something else that might be an issue?

Post by: **TroonSprint** » Wed May 21, 2014 9:26 pm

The only place I know is Speedy Cables http://www.speedycables.com/ They can also supply new gauges as they have the manufacturing rights for Smiths Instruments.

I guess yours is an electrical gauge. Speedy Cables repaired a capillary gauge for me a year or two back and it was very well done, but not cheap. I have also bought new gauges from them and they are fine and indistinguishable from original.

Mike

Post by: **john.p.clegg** » Wed May 21, 2014 9:56 pm

John
It may be the sender,it may be the gauge, or it maybe mis-match between the two,with a little luck a resistor in-line between the two will do the job,an infra-red temp sensor and a rheostat box would sort you out...

John :wink:

Post by: **l10tus** » Thu May 22, 2014 7:46 am

John,

I used a great company in Redditch :- Car Instrument Repair Services - Car Parts in Redditch ...
www.thomsonlocal.com/Car-Instrument-Rep ... 101324000/
Car Instrument Repair Services 01527 524046 Unit 30 Padgets La , Redditch , B98 0RB. Is this your business? Find out how you can improve this listing ?.

They repaired my Oil/ Water gauge, converted my Tachometer for Alternator compatibility and overhauled my Battery condition meter.

All done really well, turn round was a week and they were competitively priced.

Recommended - without any association, etc.

Regards,

Phil.

Post by: **Galwaylotus** » Thu May 22, 2014 7:06 pm

Ditto on Speedy Cables. I had my tach converted and calibrated and it came back like new!

Post by: **Johnfm** » Thu May 22, 2014 9:14 pm

Cheers all. Will investigate a bit to see if it's a capillary type or not and then get it sorted.

It's the only gauge not working.

Post by: **billwill** » Fri May 23, 2014 1:39 am

Johnfm wrote:Cheers all. Will investigate a bit to see if it's a capillary type or not and then get it sorted.

It's the only gauge not working.

You said you changed the sender so it is obviously an electric type, not a capillary type.

You cannot remove the sender of a capillary type from the connecting pipe, without letting all the Ether out & thus stopping it working.

Post by: **elansprint** » Fri May 23, 2014 4:21 pm

John not sure but does the +2 have a voltage regulator which supplies 10V dc regulated to the temp and fuel gauge if so I suspect this may have blown giving full battery voltage to gauge so the reading will be high worth a check
Ian

Post by: **Quart Meg Miles** » Fri May 23, 2014 9:04 pm

elansprint wrote:John not sure but does the +2 have a voltage regulator which supplies 10V dc regulated to the temp and fuel gauge if so I suspect this may have blown giving full battery voltage to gauge so the reading will be high worth a check
Ian

Almost certainly and would have been my first stop.

Regarding capillary gauges, are there any cheap (legal) sources of ether available in the UK? My previous sources have been path lab assistants, now retired.

Post by: **Johnfm** » Fri May 23, 2014 9:15 pm

I will need to check the 10v regulator thing. I replaced the dynamo with a dynamator, so might have to check the wiring diagram etc. Hopefully it will be that simple.

Post by: **billwill** » Sat May 24, 2014 2:04 pm

Quart Meg Miles wrote:
elansprint wrote:John not sure but does the +2 have a voltage regulator which supplies 10V dc regulated to the temp and fuel gauge if so I suspect this may have blown giving full battery voltage to gauge so the reading will be high worth a check
Ian

Almost certainly and would have been my first stop.

Regarding capillary gauges, are there any cheap (legal) sources of ether available in the UK? My previous sources have been path lab assistants, now retired.

Last year I tried to buy some off the Internet but it never arrived.

Recently I found in the 99p Store some aerosols called Engine Start for which the only ingredient listed was Di-Ethyl Alcocol, but I have not yet worked out how to get liquid Ether out of the compressed can. However last time I looked in my local 99P store there were none left.

Discussion before: lotus-elan-f19/getting-ogu-roadworthy-again-t26101-135.html#p201661

member: Simon AHM offered some to me late last year, but I've not asked him for any yet.

Post by: **Quart Meg Miles** » Sat May 24, 2014 10:28 pm

Thanks, BIll, but I'm not sure that Di-Ethyl Alcocol is ether, they are chemically distinct (or were in my A level days), in fact I'm not sure that there is such an alcohol (assuming that is what they meant or you meant to type)!

But I will PM AHM on the subject and thank you for the lead.

Post by: **billwill** » Sun May 25, 2014 12:51 am

Quart Meg Miles wrote:Thanks, BIll, but I'm not sure that Di-Ethyl Alcocol is ether, they are chemically distinct (or were in my A level days), in fact I'm not sure that there is such an alcohol (assuming that is what they meant or you meant to type)!

But I will PM AHM on the subject and thank you for the lead.

Hmm, it seems its proper name is Di-ethyl Ether.

Oh well.. That is also what it says on the 99P can.

Post by: **TroonSprint** » Sun May 25, 2014 8:26 am

Having been in lab work all my life, what is commonly known as "Ether" is di-ethyl ether. There is an ethyl alcohol which is what you drink in your whisky and which is quite different from the ether. There is no such thing as di-ethyl alcohol.

Who's a smart alec then?? :mrgreen:

Mike

Post by: **Johnfm** » Tue May 27, 2014 6:15 pm

Ok - so how do I figure out what resistor I need and where do I wire the resistor? In series in the green wire on the back of the gauge?

Where in the UK to get a temp gauge repaired?

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