How do I run coolant temp and oil temp/pressure aftermarket gauges?
 

Hey S2ki,

Let me preface this by saying I have a very limited knowledge of car electronics so please bear with me and "explain like I'm 5" if necessary.

I want to add three aftermarket gauges in my S2000, one for coolant temp, one for oil temp, and one for oil pressure.

(Please let me know if any of this doesn't make sense/if I am getting a wrong or bad product)
From all the searching on Google/YouTube/S2ki I understand that the easiest way for me to get oil temp and oil pressure would be through an oil filter sandwich plate. Now I want to run an oil cooler in the future so I would like to run a plate that also has ports for an oil cooler, this seems to be a solid product:

- oil cooler sandwich plate w/ two 1/8" NPT ports - https://www.mishimoto.com/rear-mount...ich-plate.html

- an AEM gauge/sensor for oil temperature - https://smile.amazon.com/AEM-30-4402.../dp/B001DX9KJK

- an AEM gauge/sensor for oil pressure - https://smile.amazon.com/AEM-30-4407.../dp/B001DX9KLS


I think I should be good to go for most of these products and that the installation looks "straightforward enough". If there are any things that I should be wary of please let me know.


Here is where my real question begins -
How do I run another of the AEM gauges but for coolant temp?
Do I need to add another sensor for coolant temp or is it possible to piggyback off the existing one or get the data from the ECU?

I am aware of the Modifry ECT fix for the AP1 dash module (ECT-2 for S2000) but I'd like to use an aftermarket gauge instead.


Thanks

I have an AEM Digital Water Temp Gauge (30-4402) for $80 + shipping.
AEM digital water temp gauge's black bezel (as pictured) was sanded to allow the steering wheel to clear the gauge pod I used in center column. Has a matte look that is better looking than the stock shinny plastic bezel but figured I'd mention it for full disclosure.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...4b53e47370.jpg

I found this gauge for OBD2 based connections - it says in the PDF/instructions from AEM that it only works on 2008+ vehicles (ODB2/CAN)... anyone use this on an AP1 (2003)?

With the amount of money you're looking to spend on disparate AEM gauges you'd almost be much better off just switching to a standalone ECU (e.g. AEM v2, AEM Infinity, or even some non-AEM) and then getting a single gauge like the gaugeART CAN gauge. Much cleaner install. But requires more investment due to the need for tuning. Nice side-effect is that you'll likely pick up some power even if you're mostly stock. It is a better investment in the longrun if you're even remotely inclined to do some type of racing (as would seem to be implied by you wanting to monitor all these different sensors).

Thanks for the reply snitm. My goal is to keep the car NA and add an AEM v2 down the road but I would still prefer separate gauges for oil temp/oil pressure/coolant temp.

I'm pretty much all set/ready to go with the oil temp and oil pressure I just don't know how to do a coolant temp gauge at this point. I don't want to have to tap a new sensor since the ECT sensor is near the rear of the block and is hard to get to, I would just like to piggyback off the existing ECT sensor wire or the stock ECU.


Any insight?

Looks like first S2000 with can-bus was my 06, so that AEM obd gauge won't work. You can get a coolant temperature reading from obd port still, but seems like AEM won't sell that kind of gauge.

I think these two are your best options:
-Get gauge what supports obd2 port and ISO 9141-2 protocol. Just google "obdII water temp gauge"
-Get gauge what uses separate sensor.

Piggybacking existing sensor is possible, but it is probably the hardest way.

3 gauges is a lot so make sure you have good place to mount them :hello:

The gaugeART CAN gauge allows a single screen with all temps and pressures. No need for N gauges that are a PITA to mount cleanly and unobtrusively.

But before I switched to the gaugeART: when I installed the AEM coolant gauge, that I linked to earlier in this thread, it was super easy because I have an aftermarket (mishimoto) radiator that already has a bung to add the sensor AEM provides with their kit.

You should check out some of the solutions from PLX, they got multi gauges that are way cheaper than the gaugeART.
DM-100 can connect to the OBD port and show values from there and also connect to their temp and pressure sensor modules.
I got to ask why do want see the ECT numbers though? You already got a rough estimate on the stock cluster and if something goes wrong you will notice it there.

Personally I think a DM-6 gauge with a pressure and temp module would be the best solution.
You will only be able to watch one reading at a time but you can program limits so if for example the oil temp go above your set point it will let you know.
The temp module has two inputs so you would be able to connect both oil and coolant if there you want.

Thanks snitm, I have a koyo radiator so I'll look into seeing if it has a bung for a temp sensor as well - these seems to be the easiest solution for my 03 without going for a multigauge

I guess there's no exact reason I want to see the ECT numbers other than to get a very accurate idea of what my coolant temps are in different situations. I suppose I can get pretty close using the ECT module from Modifry so that is always a possibility...

The other reason would be that I need something bright and in my face to warn me when something is wrong. I noticed this past weekend at a track session that I barely ever looked down to check my coolant temp gauge during the front straight... it's a lot easier said than done and I feel like bright/flashing gauges will reinforce this habit!