Smiths

[bigminiandy]

Hi.
On both my boats i have Smiths gauges fitted to which i've had problems with. Reading up on the internet people say they should have a voltage stabilizer fitted. If this is the case how will I know my boats have one or not without physically looking at the wiring (They live in a barn and havent had time to visit them recently)
Do the gauges act funny if there isn't one or are the reading wrong?
Does any body know the thread of the sender for the water gauge on a essex v6?

Many Thanks

[Tatra Man]

It depends on the year and on which gauges you're talking about.

Smiths Industries started using voltage stabilizers in the supply to their temperature and fuel level gauges in the early '60s which means that these gauges are designed to run on 7 volts. Put 14 volts across them and they can be very unhappy!

The electronic tachometers (rev. counters) which they introduced around '64 didn't run on the stabilized supply as they have an internal zener diode. The reason these read too high after all these years is failure of one of the internal components and they should never be adjusted without first changing that component.

It's worth pointing out that these gauges were also marketed as Jaeger.

[bigminiandy]

It's the tempature gauges mainly on the delta V6.

The two gauges (oil and water) are new from Holden classic suppliers

I presume that if a high voltage is put across them they ready high.
I think im right in saying they need smiths senders too because the manufacturers ones aren't matched to the gauge.

[Tatra Man]

Confusion, confusion, confusion.

I was referring to period gauges from Smiths Industries which are labelled (on the dial face) either Smiths or Jaeger. What you have "new" from another company, I don't know.

You refer to temperature gauges and then mention oil. Smiths Industries did both oil pressure (common) and oil temperature (rare) gauges but the oil pressure gauges were usually capillary gauges, not electrical.

Put twice the intended voltage across anything and it will probably either read wrong or go pffftttt.

I'm puzzled by your statement that the manufacturer's senders aren't matched to the gauge. In fact, the reverse is true and Smiths Industries senders will be designed to be used with specific gauges. Different Smiths Industries senders will also be matched to different Smiths Industries gauges depending on the application.

[bigminiandy]

The oil temp gauge fitted is the one on this website supplied by Holden.

http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct. ... de=070.008

I've no problems at all with the oil pressure gauge as you say it is capillary.

With the sender i meant that if a smiths gauge is wired up to a standard ford sender it wont read correctly - ie a smiths sender is need for a smiths gauge?

[Tatra Man]

OK - The Holden gauge is a replica and, if it's electrically compatible with the original, then it can use either the original sender or the ones Holden list for it. Holden don't say which Smiths Industries gauge it's a replica of and don't specify whether it's the type which needs a voltage stabiliser or not but I suspect that it doesn't because there is no mention of it needing a 7 volt supply instead of 12 volt. Also, it has a white pointer and all the Smiths Industies gauges I've come across which needed a stabilised 7 volts had dayglo red pointers.

In the '60s, Ford used Smiths Industries gauges! Have a look in a Mk.I Lotus Cortina or Mk.II Cortina Lotus and that's what you'll see. Needless to say, the senders matched.