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audible alarm

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vdubmga Avatar
vdubmga v wasem
46N1165W, WA, USA   USA
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Has anyone added an audible alarm for low oil/high temp? I see a few are available on the internet, but wondering if anyone has personal experience doing it. Thanks, vw

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ddubois Avatar
ddubois Dave DuBois (RIP)
Bremerton, WA, USA   USA
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There is an audible alarm for low oil - it consists of a loud rattle in the engine compartment when accelerating (don't ask how I know this). After having gotten the audible alarm and then rebuilding the engine in our TD, I became a very attentive oil/temp gauge watcher.
Cheers,



Dave DuBois
1953 MGTD
1966 MGB
http://homepages.donobi.net/sufuelpumps/

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Gary E Avatar
Gary E Gary Edwards
Kernersville, NC, USA   USA
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KISS



Gary

Murphy's law

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe, and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it, and he'll have to touch it to be sure.

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bobs77vet Avatar
bobs77vet bob K.
northern Va, VA, USA   USA
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racers use flashing lights

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dipstick Avatar
dipstick Kenny Snyder (RIP)
La Center, WA, USA   USA
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1941 Ford N-Series
1958 MG MGA 1500 Coupe "Rosie"
1970 MG MGB GT "Pat's GT"
1971 MG MGB "Gifted To Me"    & more
NASCAR types use an electric light on the dash, and vent the coolant overflow onto the outside passenger windshield for driver visibility/warning. The old Smokey Yunick joke was to vent the coolant overflow under the driver's seat. hot smiley



Be safe out there.
Kenny

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lawnvett Avatar
lawnvett P.J. Lenihan
Winston-Salem, N.C., USA   USA
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you guys are too funny



Don't postpone joy

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GMG 2J Avatar
GMG 2J Mark Vine
Essex, England, UK   GBR
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Is that not the reason for an oil pressure gauge ? Know your car, if you are reliant on a light perhaps owning an old vehicle is not your thing. Modern cars do not need so much attention, we are spoilt with the ability to go between oil changes with out using much if any oil, however old cars need a check and are likely to need their oil topped up between servicing.
If you are constantly looking for a light or listening out for an audible sound then just glance at the oil gauge, don't make things more complex than they need to be, it's another thing to go wrong.

Mark.



We will talk a little later when we are older.

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vdubmga Avatar
vdubmga v wasem
46N1165W, WA, USA   USA
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I knew someone would give me the "look at the gauge" answer. I expected that, but I'm surprised only one person came back with it. :-)

Looking at the gauge would be the obvious solution. I always look at gauges, listen for odd noises, and try to hear or smell something that's not normal. It's not a matter of being inattentive, but a matter of adding another level of assurance that something is wrong before the engine is ruined. I wouldn't mind rebuilding my engine someday, but no sooner than necessary.

In the next few weeks I'll be putting my oil/temp gauge back in the dash and that would be a good time to add something if I'm going to do it. I do like the idea of routing the coolant overflow onto the pax window.... I'm not sure the wife would like that, tho....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-01 08:48 PM by vdubmga.

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bobs77vet Avatar
bobs77vet bob K.
northern Va, VA, USA   USA
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You didn't ask this question but you could wire a low oil pressure switch to the coil or fuel pump and interrupt the engine from running at a low oil pressure. Generators have these all the time

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vdubmga Avatar
vdubmga v wasem
46N1165W, WA, USA   USA
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That's an excellent idea and worth looking into. I knew you guys would have some good ideas...

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three5bangers Avatar
three5bangers Steve M
Valhalla, NY, USA   USA
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I wouldn't want this to cut the engine when I'm crossing the railroad tracks. I'd be into an alarm, i can't watch the gauge every second but an alarm could.

In reply to # 2930850 by bobs77vet interrupt the engine from running at a low oil pressure. Generators have these all the time

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vdubmga Avatar
vdubmga v wasem
46N1165W, WA, USA   USA
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Or even when crossing a busy intersection, now that I think about it. Yes, a cut-off could be dangerous. So, back to an alarm....

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RJBrown Randy Brown
Queen Creek, AZ, USA   USA
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A low oil pressure cutoff was added to the air compressors in the auto shops I rent out. That way stupid tenants can't run my compressors without oil. For a car you care about not so necessary, just look at the gauge and check the oil.

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Neil MG Avatar
Neil MG Neil McGurk
Cumbria, UK   GBR
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1956 Morris Minor
1958 MG MGA
1960 MG MGA
1961 MG MGA    & more
In reply to # 2930737 by vdubmga I knew someone would give me the "look at the gauge" answer. I expected that, but I'm surprised only one person came back with it. :-)

I think quite a lot of us thought it!

I am sure I don't look at my gauge so much, but certainly enough to see if anything is changing. I mean I don't expect to detect a sudden loss of pressure by checking every few seconds, but would notice if the gauge showed less (or more) than I expected for any single condition (i.e. hot tickover, 70mph, etc) Same for the temperature gauge.

I would expect the kind of sudden failure that caused low pressure would be enough to either get my attention or already have done enough damage to warrant an engine rebuild.

Maybe I am being a bit simplistic, but my daily driver is a 1956 Morris Minor and it has no "safety gauges". There is a low oil pressure warning light though!

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three5bangers Avatar
three5bangers Steve M
Valhalla, NY, USA   USA
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There was a university motors video where a less than 1 year old oil hose to the oil cooler burst. SUdden. Engine was ruined. So by the time you hear it it could be too late. So no harm done by having a buzzer. I think the recommendation was a 50 year old hose might still be better than the new garbage being sold.

In reply to # 2930963 by Neil MG

I would expect the kind of sudden failure that caused low pressure would be enough to either get my attention or already have done enough damage to warrant an engine rebuild.


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