SR20 Multiple Water Temp Sensor Probes?

[jscherf92]

Hey guys I need some input, I want to add a digital water temp gauge to get more accuracy than the cluster gauge but I cant think of a way to run the sensor.

I've already got a stance water neck sensor adapter for my turbo coolant and an upper radiator hose adapter for my electric fan thermostat.

Any ideas on another place to probe for water temperature?

The other solution would be getting a new line and tapping my turbo coolant feed from the intake side or a heater hose, I know its feeding hotter coolant to the turbo in its current configuration so that might be my best bet. I guess I could always drill and tap the actual water neck, or pick up an S14 neck. Thoughts?

Thanks.

[Kingtal0n]

IMO you want the water coming out of the engine (upper radiator hose) around 190-200*F. A little hotter if the car is a daily with an upgraded turbo. Around 208*F is perfect for most daily drivers. If the car has a T-25 then 185-190 is plenty. If the engine is track only then lower is usually a good idea to give some head room and help prevent problems concerning combustion. The reason a higher temperature is desirable mostly has to do with fuel economy, and engine longevity, engines that run hard while cold suffer problems associated with wear and tear. But on the track you are usually not concerned with fuel economy, and temperatures may be difficult to keep down.


Its sort of pointless to tap anywhere else. It doesnt matter what temperature the water is going into the engine, its how hot it gets before it comes out that counts. please note that if the temp rises when going WOT on the highway much above 215*F then you may need to adjust the outlet temperature down to compensate. Thats a whole new can of worms- the rise of temperature is either because of poor tuning or inability of the cooling system to keep up, in either case, lowering the outlet temp is a temporary band-aid until you can find and fix the real problem, fan, radiator, timing, ducting, ...

[jscherf92]

That's great information, it will definitely help when everything is installed. So I definitely want my fan thermostat switch and water temp sensor on the upper radiator hose/water neck.

I guess my big question then is should I run my turbo coolant feed line from the water neck or from the intake side where it was originally? I moved it to clean up the hoses but it seems like that would solve my problems with needing another hole for the new sensor.