# Adding an oil pressure gauge to the 1.4



## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Ever since acquiring the gauge pod and boost gauge from Jnoobs, I was trying to figure out what to get for a second gauge. Jnoobs had an A/F ratio, but that really wasn't of use to me. I wasn't concerned about having anything in particular, I just drive the car daily, but I wanted some eye candy. So I settled on an oil pressure gauge because it would provide some excitement.

Not to mention, it is an important variable to monitor.

So I ordered up one from the same company that made the boost gauge and got around to installing it last night. It took a little engineering to make it work, but it wasn't hard.

The gauge came with its own sending unit. Apparently most cars have an accessory port for stuff like this, but the Cruze does not that I can tell.

So Home Depot had the necessary supplies (for $11) to make an extension and T connector out of brass pipe. Assembled it all with thread tape and installed it. The sending unit for the gauge goes out the end and the smaller LUJ sending unit goes out the side at the T. It all fit in there without any modifications to anything else.



















The wires for the gauge hook onto the end of the sending unit and I just fished them through the firewall next to the boost gauge hose.

I figured I'd do the write up about this since I couldn't really find mention of where anyone hooked up an OP gauge.


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

Looks good, but what's the item that says 0mph 0.0mpg, that caught my eye. It looks interesting. 


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Scangauge. It currently reads speed, instant mileage (more accurate than DIC), voltage, and water temp.

I may add trans temp in place of voltage if I can find a code for it.


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

Oh awesome if you don't mind me asking where can you pick one up? I might look into it. Lol


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## N519AT (Aug 23, 2012)

Did you steal my car?

Seriously, that looks exactly like my setup, although I haven't installed the sender unit yet. Looks good!


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

trevor_geiger said:


> Oh awesome if you don't mind me asking where can you pick one up? I might look into it. Lol
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


They're available many places, including Autozone. But the cheapest online source I could find (free shipping):
ScanGauge II - Scan Gauge OBD II Scanner - OBD2 Scan Gauge


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## Dragonsys (May 27, 2013)

looks good, do you happen to have a list of what all you had to buy extra? I have my gauge sitting waiting for me to figure out all the parts i need to buy for install.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Dragonsys said:


> looks good, do you happen to have a list of what all you had to buy extra? I have my gauge sitting waiting for me to figure out all the parts i need to buy for install.


Not with me now, but I will get it tonight. About a 1" pipe extension, a T, and a right angle elbow. And thread tape of course.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Sunline Fan said:


> Not with me now, but I will get it tonight. About a 1" pipe extension, a T, and a right angle elbow. And thread tape of course.


Here are the parts I used:
- Watts Brass Pipe (lead free) nipple, 1/8" x 2" long
- " " Female pipe tee, 1/8"
- " " Street Elbow, 1/8" MIP x 1/8" FIP


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## TFroehlichIII (Mar 15, 2013)

Sunline Fan said:


> Ever since acquiring the gauge pod and boost gauge from Jnoobs, I was trying to figure out what to get for a second gauge. Jnoobs had an A/F ratio, but that really wasn't of use to me. I wasn't concerned about having anything in particular, I just drive the car daily, but I wanted some eye candy. So I settled on an oil pressure gauge because it would provide some excitement.
> 
> Not to mention, it is an important variable to monitor.
> 
> ...


What part of the engine/oil system did you connect your pressure switch to on the engine? I have a boost gauge and oil press gauge that I want to install as well.


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## Dragonsys (May 27, 2013)

Oil pressure sending unit

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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

Looking awesome , nice stuff !


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

TFroehlichIII said:


> What part of the engine/oil system did you connect your pressure switch to on the engine? I have a boost gauge and oil press gauge that I want to install as well.


Sorry for taking so long to get back to you on this, I saved the email and it just got down the list on me.

The port for the factory oil pressure sending unit. The purpose of the extension pipe pieces was they went in the hole where the factory unit was, pulled everything up and away so that I could put the T for both the factory one and the gauge one.

In the first picture in my original post, you'll see three 'rings' of teflon tape in a row. The left most one, right next to the metal flex duct/heat shield for that hose, is right where the factory OP sending unit goes in. The big gold canister is the OP sending unit that came with the gauge. The factory one is hidden, attached to the elbow that goes into the T, just southwest of the gold sending unit in the pic. The factory sending unit looks kind of like a fat spark plug in terms of size/shape, and there's a plug on the end of it.

In case you haven't found it already, the general location of all this is: when standing at the front of the car looking in, find the oil filter housing and look down. It's below that housing. The pic here was taken with my phone kinda just behind the hood latch, aiming toward the driver's side front tire.

Let me know if I can help with any more pictures/details. It's hard to get my phone down in there, so I may not be able to get much better shots than what I posted.


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## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

Im still undecided on a second gauge for my zzp pillar. Good choice on oil press. though. Did you ever run a new line for your boost gauge?


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

AutumnCruzeRS said:


> Im still undecided on a second gauge for my zzp pillar. Good choice on oil press. though. Did you ever run a new line for your boost gauge?


Not for the gauge itself. I found a cutoff piece of hard plastic air line from installing air springs on the Excursion that I used, as well as a T-connector from that. The soft line from the gauge really hadn't collapsed, so I just connected that to the T and put on the hard lines. No problems since, and I've gotten Penelope excited plenty of times since!


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## ZED216 (Jan 4, 2014)

This is probably a stupid question, but where does the gauge get it's power from, and what exactly do you have to do with the fuze box? 

thanks


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

ZED216 said:


> This is probably a stupid question, but where does the gauge get it's power from, and what exactly do you have to do with the fuze box?
> 
> thanks


It had a little harness out the back of it with wires that you need to wire in. Two of them go up to the oil pressure sending unit, which is mechanical. The others are for ground and a light power source, which I have spliced into the headlight switch wiring.


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## getblended (Jun 15, 2011)

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## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

So what's are oil pressures? Any pressure after shut off or before starting for turbo feed?


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

AutumnCruzeRS said:


> So what's are oil pressures? Any pressure after shut off or before starting for turbo feed?


Sorry Tim, saved this email notification in my inbox and it fell down on the list. Generally 60-80 in warm up period. 70ish at idle, but can get up toward 80 when revving some. When the engine warms up, it'll drop down to 30ish at idle. Usually runs 40-50 on side roads depending on RPM, and 60ish on the highway.


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## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

No problem Jon. You ever get pressure while engine is not running? Going back to that buzzing noise we all have. I was wondering if there's a turbo oil feed primer or something.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

AutumnCruzeRS said:


> No problem Jon. You ever get pressure while engine is not running? Going back to that buzzing noise we all have. I was wondering if there's a turbo oil feed primer or something.


No, the push button start doesn't make that easy. I'll have to try it. My gauge is really funny though, it'll pick up the beat from certain songs well after I've shut the car off.



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