Fitting the sensors for the oil pressure and temperature gauges was done when the oil cooler was fitted.
The engine was not originally fitted with an oil cooler when it was in the Levin but now that it is producing more power I decided that an oil cooler would be a good idea. I gathered lots of info especially from Think Auto ( you have to get one of their catalogues) who suggested that my nearest stockist was Merlin Motorsport who are based at Castle Combe racing circuit. My first trip there was a fact-finding one - John was very knowledgeable and helpful. With the information I needed I decided on the following.
The biggest oil cooler I could get to fit with 1/2" push on hose fittings
A take off sandwich plate tapped with 1/8 BSP thread to take the SPA oil pressure gauge sensor with 1/2" push on fittings
An in line oil thermostat to ensure that the oil reached the right temperature before it was routed through the cooler.
An in line temperature gauge take off with 1/8 NPT thread adaptor to the SPA oil temperature gauge sensor
Mocal stainless steel braided 1/2" I/D hose
Aeroquip Pro-Clamp hose fittings
I went back to Merlin Motorsport and left with a lighter wallet. The only thing that they didn't have in stock was the sandwich plate and they posted that on to me.
Deciding where to fit the cooler was one of the biggest problems. These are normally mounted against the engine cooling radiator so that the rad acts as a big heat sink but I wasn't able to do that. My intercooler is mounted directly in front of the rad so I had to find somewhere else for it. Positioning it in font of the intercooler would not be a good idea as this is best kept as cool as possible. In the end I decided to mount it as far above the intercooler as possible on the drivers side - trying to keep the warm air from the oil cooler away from the intercooler.** (see below for update)
Now I was able to run the hose from the cooler to the position of the oil filter and decide where the inline oilstat and temp take off would be located. It was just a question of cutting the hose to fit between these locations. John at Merlin had told me the best way to cut the hose and I've added to what he told me:-
Mark where you want to cut by wrapping several turns of insulation tape around the hose. hold the hose securely (I used a Black& Decker workmate and cut through the hose using a sharp new hacksaw or better still a disc cutter/angle grinder. Support the piece that is hanging free as you get to the end of the cut to prevent any stray wire strands pulling free. Leave the tape on the hose and remove it from the Workmate. Roll the cut edge of the hose on a flat surface whilst applying pressure with a flat strip of wood or metal - this will help to push over any that have flared away from the hose rubber. The Aeroquip Pro-Clamp is a very tight fit on the end of the hose but with care you should be able to get then on without stabbing yourself with any braid wires - don't forget to slacken off the Pro-Clamps before trying to fit them!
To fit the hose to the push on fittings takes a lot of doing as these are also a very tight fit - they need to be as they will have to withstand 80psi of oil pressure. Run some clean engine oil around the inside of the hose end and outside of the push on fitting then warm the end of the hose with a hair drier or a heat gun to soften the rubber and make it a bit easier. It will take a fair bit of effort to get the fittings into the hose - the ones each side of the oilstat were the worst as there is no room to get your fingers around the hose to get a proper grip.
** During the summer the oil cooler was putting out a lot of heat and turning the intercooler into an "interwarmer" giving me intake temps in excess of 60 C on occasions - very bad. So I had to remove the oil cooler temporarily (leaving the oil temp and pressure sensors on a short hose loop from the sandwich plate) until the intercooler could be relocated.
Now the intercooler is mounted directly behind the front bumper where it gets cooler air directly from outside the engine compartment. The oil cooler will be replaced when I get a dry weekend to do the job.