Oil Temp Sender Problem...Need Advice!

[Spoolin98]

Ok guys, Im have two problems that I need some advice with.

I had a bung welded into the oil pan for my oil temp sender before putting the motor in so I had no idea where the bung would actually be once the motor was in. So now that the motor is in, the sender is extremely close to the subframe. I have prothane mounts in the car, but I know the motor is still going to flex from the torque and Im afraid the sender is going to hit the subframe and break or short something out.

Im not sure what would happen if a sender hits the frame, would it cause any damage to the guage or electrical system? I dont know enough about electronics.

Now I have thought about this and I dont have many choices. I can either notch the subframe out so when it does move it doenst hit or I can drop the oil pan. If I drop the pan I have to buy another bung, weld closed the old bung, and put the new one somewhere else. So...what do you guys think? Should I just cut the subframe? The part I would be notching is right at the bottom of where the driver side lower control arm bushing is. Im afraid if I notch the subframe, its going to weaken the subframe and cause me more problems. Any Ideas or input is welcome.

 

[IceMinion]

I would get a large pry bar and flex the engine as hard as you can in all directions, meanwhile have a friend look and see how much the engine actually moves.

with the prothane motor mounts you should be in ok shape

I would take a grinder and cut the threads down a couple mm, that should make up most of the difference.

In the worst case, you will break the oil temp sensor, it would be my guess that even then oil would not leak/leak very slowly, not enough to kill your engine

 

[Littlebeeper]

Uh, i agree cept for the prybar part. I would recommend you torque the motor by putting it in gear with the E-brake on . It wouldn't give you the side to side but most movement is front to back anyway.

 

[Spoolin98]

I would get a large pry bar and flex the engine as hard as you can in all directions, meanwhile have a friend look and see how much the engine actually moves.

with the prothane motor mounts you should be in ok shape

I would take a grinder and cut the threads down a couple mm, that should make up most of the difference.

In the worst case, you will break the oil temp sensor, it would be my guess that even then oil would not leak/leak very slowly, not enough to kill your engine

I thought about cutting the threads down, but there is none to cut down. There is only like two threads showing, which you can see in the picture.

Does anyone know what will happen if the sender hits the subframe? Can it blow a fuse or ground something out that shouldnt be?

 

[Spoolin98]

Uh, i agree cept for the prybar part. I would recommend you torque the motor by putting it in gear with the E-brake on . It wouldn't give you the side to side but most movement is front to back anyway.

Thats a good idea, Im just gonna wait and see what happens. Hopefully if it does hit the subframe it doesnt break off and make me lose oil.

 

[IceMinion]

this is a after market oil temp sensor, if it "shorts out" its no big deal, put a fuse in and in the worse case you blow a fuse

you can always sawzall your subframe a little bit, probably wouldnt hurt the overall strength of the car

 

[Cs4g63]

If it were me I would just drop the pan and weld in the new bung. No point in cutting on the subframe when its as easy as dropping the pan and doing some welding.

 

[1gcrazy]

You could try and find a hollow angle adapter just bring it up and away.

 

[Spoolin98]

You could try and find a hollow angle adapter just bring it up and away.

Can you explain to me more on what this is or what you mean???

 

[Spoolin98]

If it were me I would just drop the pan and weld in the new bung. No point in cutting on the subframe when its as easy as dropping the pan and doing some welding.

Well, after doing tons of work here...

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260127

I just dont have the energy to do it at the moment. This would be the smart thing to do though, I know that...

 

[Defiant]

I don't think you're going to hit, but I'd grab another pan and have a bung put where it clears better, and have it ready for when you need it if you ever do.
If it does hit, it'll break. Electrically, it'll just peg the gauge, it won't hurt anything in that regard.

 

[Spoolin98]

I don't think you're going to hit, but I'd grab another pan and have a bung put where it clears better, and have it ready for when you need it if you ever do.
If it does hit, it'll break. Electrically, it'll just peg the gauge, it won't hurt anything in that regard.

Thanks for the response, thats exactly what I was waiting for. So if it hits and the gauge pegs, it wont hurt the gauge at all? Im just worried that with the power I plan on making with this motor the torque is going to shift that motor.

 

[m_0ney_pit]

Why not just get a brass L-bend from the hardware store and route in in another direction? The oil temp will still be the same even if the actual sensor is 5-10 cm from the pan location.

 

[Spoolin98]

Why not just get a brass L-bend from the hardware store and route in in another direction? The oil temp will still be the same even if the actual sensor is 5-10 cm from the pan location.

That is a good idea, but I have to drop the oil pan to remove the sender, If I do that, I mind as well just move the bung. Thanks for the idea though, Ill keep that in mind...

 

[m_0ney_pit]

Is that JB weld around the sender fitting or just silicone?
Just curious do you have a nut on the inside of the pan preventing you from taking it off?

 

[Spoolin98]

Is that JB weld around the sender fitting or just silicone?
Just curious do you have a nut on the inside of the pan preventing you from taking it off?

Its thread sealant and I cant remove it because it will back out and hit the subframe.

 

[m_0ney_pit]

why not lower it down by doing the good old remove the motor mount and support it with a jack trick? You can get a good 2 inches by doing that.

 

[Spoolin98]

why not lower it down by doing the good old remove the motor mount and support it with a jack trick? You can get a good 2 inches by doing that.

I could do that, but I just realized that an L bend wont work. The temp sender goes in pretty far past the threads so I doubt it will thread in, it will probably bottom out. Ill still look into it though