ELaudio

iTrader: (7)

I finally did it. Installed my Oil Pressure and Oil Temperature gauges last week. I promised Telly I'd post some pics and I wanted to share them with my fellow EL drivers.






Here's a pic of the Greddy Oil Block adapter with the pressure and temperature senders installed:



A picture of my ride:



I feel ashamed. I've had my wheels and Hayames installed for close to two months and I hadn't taken a decent pic of my car until yesterday....

I hadn't planned on writing up a DIY for this, but if anyone's interested I can post details on what parts I had to buy and the major issues I encountered while installing the gauges. For the price, I'd have to say that Faze gauges are excellent. A few tricks I figured out:

- I used an old bi-directional printer cable as a wiring sleeve. This makes the install look quite clean (only one black cable from my dash to the gauge). Only problem is that this made the installation more difficult, since I had to thread all the wires into the sleeve BEFORE hooking up all the connections. Hard to explain, but if you ever do this mod to your car, you'll know exactly what I mean. The main problem is that there isn't much space at all between the windshield and the dash, making the process of stripping wires and connecting them to the back of the gauges difficult.

- I used a very small opening in the defroster vent that lead into the area under my dash. While working on LED cluster mods, I noticed some day-light poking through to under my dash. I used a coat-hanger with a piece of string tied to it to floss the wire through the opening. It was a tight squeeze, but I managed to get all the wires through.

- I hooked up the senders via a Greddy Oil-Block Adapter, thanks to a tip from someone right here on 7thgen.com.

- In order to bathe my temperature sender (thermocouple) in as much oil possible, I had to get REALLY creative. The Greddy part has a hole threaded to M12x1.25. I had no luck finding an adapter from M12x1.25 to 1/8" NPT (the sender's threading). While almost at the end of my creative rope, I came across a post in a Subaru WRX forum by a guy that had the exact same dilema on his hands. What he did, and I found this to be pure genious, is to take a FRAM Sure-Drain adapter (threaded M12x1.25 to 1/2" NPT HOSE MALE) and bolt it onto the Greddy oil block adapter. From there, I used a 1/2"NPT-female to 1/2"NPT-female coupling. Finally, I used a 1/2" NPT Male to 1/8" NPT female adapter. Very sleek, very nice. One thing though. The SureDrain fitting is designed only to open when you connect the SureDrain hose to it. I "fixed" this issue using my dremel tool, by grinding out the spring-loaded valve built into the SureDrain drain plug adapter.


If you have any questions on my install post away... Or just let me know what you think!


ELaudio

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

You crazy genius you. I love it.

Wanna help me isolate this clicking on my front passenger Hayames?

BlAcK_eL

looks good, i was thinking of getting the temp gauge

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

Nice rims btw....looks familiar. IMO they look better on a black car.

ELaudio

iTrader: (7)

Clicking on the hayames? Hmmmm, is this a constant thing, as in when you go over a bump? I guess it's safe to say that you weren't experiencing this with your old springs... I think I'd have to hear the noise or get a better description before making a diagnosis. Luckily I've had very few issues with my Hayames, the only real one being the clunking I hear when I move around in a parking lot right after I start the car. I hear this is caused by the bottom lock-nut being loose on the fronts. I tightened the ******* out of both of them and the noise still came back. Doesn't bug me too much, since it goes away after 15 seconds. weird...

ELaudio

iTrader: (7)

Ya - I'm liking the Royal Gunmetal Rotas more and more everyday. I've actually had quite a few compliments from complete strangers in parking lots, especially from fellow 7th-gen'ers.

blackac

your car is sweet, i think some headlight eyebrows would do some good

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

Yeah dude, the clicking manifests every time I go over a bump (or even a dip in the road). I've super tightened the 3rd nut, but I'm wondering now about the two upper ones. I won't have a chance to check it out till I get the car back at the end of the week.

ELaudio

iTrader: (7)

Telly - it could be a suspension bushing. I had the same problem creep up on me a few months before I installed my Hayames. When I went through my head-gasket fiasco, they replaced a bushing, free of charge and this totally eliminated the clunking. But, since you said you only started hearing this sound after you installed your Hayames, this may not be the problem.

Once you get your car back, I'd check to see if the two bolts that bolt onto upper control arm are tight. Also, I found that I needed to have a decent amount of pre-load on the fronts. Just enough to make the spring tight (so you can't spin it in the coilover) when the car is up on a jack.

Let me know if you need any help once you get your car back...



As for the headlight eyebrows, I wasn't planning on doing that. What I am planning on doing is blacking out the chrome inside the headlight assemblies with some Graphite Metallic Grey or Gunmetal paint. Should give the front end a slightly more sinister look.... muahhahahah

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

For the headlight painting - match your rims in colour. Get some Krylon Fusion (black) then dust it with a coat or two of Duplicolor Wheel Paint in Graphite. It will look black from far off, but up close will look 3-dimensional, like there's actual depth to it.

ELaudio

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for the tip, Telly. Although I think I might ask for your help on getting the headlight assemblies out and cracking them open...

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

Anytime buddy, anytime (except 12-2 on sunday...that's salsa time).

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

Helped a friend strip his system...got a free fuel pressure gauge out of it....now gotta figure out how to mount and hook up the sender...

gtracing

iTrader: (6)

yea, i'm still waiting for my greddy oil adaptor to come in

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

Got my car back today, I think I may have solved the clicking problem. Regardless I know all the contact points are torqued perfectly now, so even if there IS a click, I don't have to freak out thinking it's a thread getting killed. Drove it around the block, no noises so far.

blackac

hows the car look?! pics plz

TeLLy

iTrader: (23)

I JUST got er back, I was too busy carvin up Hamilton mountain roads to take decent pics, but I will have some up soon.

No clicking on the coilovers either - problem solved.

ELaudio

iTrader: (7)

Good to hear your Hayames are riding nice. What I also really like about them is that I have yet to bottom out. Today, while driving to work up Keele street, I hit the Mother of All Bumps. Keele's been under construction for months now, and this particular bump wasn't marked with a pylon or anything. As soon as I realized how tall it was and that I was powerless to avoid it, I got very freaked. Sure, it was rough, but the hayame's cushioned the blow - no klunks or thuds....