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Engine Specific Info and Questions => IDI Engine => Topic started by: 92EcoDiesel Jetta on June 18, 2013, 06:15:01 am
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My 81 Caddy does not have a low coolant level sender in the expansion tank like on my mk2 Jetta. IMO, low coolant warning is essential to let you know of impending overheat before it is too late.
I found an expansion tank from a 92 Cabrio with a low level sender but the big question is whether the Caddy's Westmoreland cluster has the circuitry for it. Has anyone done what I like to do and how did you do it?
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Bump. When (year/model) did VW add low coolant warning? Do ones w/o suffer more head gasket/ overheat problems?
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Don't know for sure. I know 85 my jetta has it. Fatmobile IIRC did this very thing or knows of someone who did. I would think if you added the dash stuff, exp. tank, and wiring it would work no issue.
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Don't know for sure. I know 85 my jetta has it. Fatmobile IIRC did this very thing or knows of someone who did. I would think if you added the dash stuff, exp. tank, and wiring it would work no issue.
That would be a lot of work and lot of parts and is not the approach I would want to take. Anyone done it by some other creative ways?
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IDK, How much easier could it get? You have some parts, see if you could add it to a light in the existing cluster and wire it in.
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IDK, How much easier could it get? You have some parts, see if you could add it to a light in the existing cluster and wire it in.
It's not that simple and won't work. The low-level sender is not an on off switch
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I want to do it as well but of course put it off. I already installed the reservoirs with sensors in them in my rabbit/truck
I can't speak for sure but I don't see mention of this sucker in mk1 wiring schematics in my bently?
My 85 jetta had it, and I think it had the water seperator circuit as well that earlier cars didn't.
My jetta has been daily driven by family members for years now. That sensor once in a while freaks out, but you just check it and wiggle the plug and/or turn the car off then back on again and it mostly did a good job of working in the real world for me. And of course the times it did catch a problem.
Sadly they were driving it with td hydro motor one day and a lower coolant hose burst. What sucks is she told me she noticed the flashing then the gage but did NOT pull over even though I told them a million times to listen to the damn car. Car wasn't loosing power and sounded the same so they decided to drive up and over a hill until the car locked up.
I had rescue it later. It started but wanted to overheat every couple minutes and I had to refill the water. Funny I think it was just a head gasket, the head appears flat and not even cracks between the valves? Will get to the bottom of that later.
For this reason I now have auber gages hooked to airplane alarm :) Would be neat to tie that into the low coolant alarm with a relay.
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Seems like that circuit looks for a specific voltage or resistance across the two pins on the sensor yo monitor coolant level and mix ratio. It wasn't an on off switch though as was said.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
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Here's a nice, cheap solution; add-on level sensor switch. You choose the level it closes by location. Add an LED, and you're set.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PP-Side-Mount-Horizontal-Water-Level-Sensor-Liquid-Float-Switch-for-Tank-Pool-/300900359399?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460f0f1ce7#ht_4951wt_1157
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IDK, How much easier could it get? You have some parts, see if you could add it to a light in the existing cluster and wire it in.
It's not that simple and won't work. The low-level sender is not an on off switch
Sorry wasn't clear. Add in the wiring meant add in the parts. I don't think it is much there that you don[t have already. If you want to get really trick just drill and tap the water pump housing as it leaves the block under the IP. Being if you lost coolant that is lower than the head and you would notice your temps getting hot rather quickly. Above the head and you would be reading air, which would take much longer to heat up, if it was low.
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Here's a nice, cheap solution; add-on level sensor switch. You choose the level it closes by location. Add an LED, and you're set.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PP-Side-Mount-Horizontal-Water-Level-Sensor-Liquid-Float-Switch-for-Tank-Pool-/300900359399?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460f0f1ce7#ht_4951wt_1157
Slick
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The float switch idea is not bad, if you can find one rated for ~100oC.
Would be nice to know what the OEM sensor actually does and hack a circuit for it.
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I deconstructed the MK2 circuitry and it's an op amp with the engine temp on one input and the level sensor on the other.
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it was available in the mk1's how ever its not very common, i think it was an 83-84 thing only and only on specific models like automatic diesel, turbo diesel, and gti.
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Had an 84 4 speed diesel and an 83 GTI, neither of mine had it but maybe it was certain packages?
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I deconstructed the MK2 circuitry and it's an op amp with the engine temp on one input and the level sensor on the other.
Have you posted the circuitry before? The coolant level sensor is a probe with 2 electrodes about 1/2" apart (not sure of exact dimension) that measures conductivity of the coolant, very much like the water in fuel sensor. Makes sense an op amp is needed for such a high impedance sensor. If the system is filled with 100% distilled water, the level sensor will not work since distilled water is non conductive.
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The float switch idea is not bad, if you can find one rated for ~100oC.
Would be nice to know what the OEM sensor actually does and hack a circuit for it.
Even if it's rated to 100C, it may not physically be able to be installed into the expansion tank.
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No I don't think I posted the circuit and would have to look for the box of stuff that's dedicated to that project.