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Howdy folks,
I decided to make this "how to" simply because I know many people have expressed interest in doing this - either because their current gauges/sensors are broken, or because they fancy something new and more upmarket in their car. For me, my oil temperature gauge was not working, my oil pressure gauge was giving low readings (possibly due to another reason explained later) and my turbo boost gauge was off the scale at higher boost pressures. Hopefully this will give you a taste as to what's involved when replacing your standard centre gauges with something a little more flash!
Items needed:
3 new gauges with relevant sensors
DIN-sized 52mm triple gauge mounting plate
New oil filter
Brand new oil
Basic tools such as spanners, screw drivers, soldering iron etc.
Some electrical wire and connectors
Approximately a day's worth of free time
Step 1:
Remove all gauges and sensors from packaging and make sure everything is present. Since the oil temperature sensor is very awkward to replace, I decided to mount the oil temperature sensor in the sump. This is made incredibly easy by the LMA-group making a replacement sump plug with a 1/8th NPT hole tapped into it (my new oil temperature sensor required a 1/8th NPT hole although other adaptors are available). If anyone is in the same boat, this part can be bought through:
LMA-group : (+44)(0) 1234 268213
Part Number : LMA120
Special Note : The sump plug for the Nissan Sunny/Pulsar GTiR is M12 x 1.25!
Make sure the new oil pressure sensor has a 1/8th BSPT (tapered) thread as that is what the original GTiR item is! This way, a direct replacement is easy. (Alternatively, purchase a 1/8 BSPT female to 1/8 NPT female adaptor, or failing that; purchase a remote braided line kit, like the Subura remote oil pressure switch kits that are widely available.) Plus, find a boost hose in your engine bay which you can insert a T-piece into to read the engine's vacuum AND boost pressure. For example, if you have an aftermarket dump valve, the hose leading to this is perfectly acceptable.
Step 2:
Jack up the front of the car as high as it will go and secure on axle stands or something similar.
Step 3:
Drain the engine oil by removing the sump plug located at the back of the sump pan.
Step 4:
After examining the sump pan, it became clear that there was a large dent which deformed the shape of the sump pan quite considerably. Since the oil pickup line is located in the sump, any dents in the sump pan may affect the oil pickup, thus leading to a reduction in oil pressure (as mentioned at the start). After all the engine oil has been drained, remove the sump pan by removing the several M10 hex-head screws around the perimeter of the sump pan.
Oil Pickup visible after removal of sump pan:
Removed sump pan sitting on garage floor:
Step 5:
Through use of a block of wood and a rubber mallet, *gently* knock out the dents in the sump pan until the bottom of the pan is flat.
Better looking sump pan:
Step 6:
The oil filter is located in a particular nasty place, however this needs removed. Hopefully it will only be on tight enough to stop oil leaks but not so tight that it can't be removed by hand. If the filter is on very tight, then some sort of removal tool can be used. Fortunately I was able to get mine off without use of tools.
Position of (white) oil filter:
Step 7:
After removal of the oil filter, the next step is to remove the standard oil pressure sensor. This is easier to get at compared to the oil filter. It is a rather large sensor which can be removed using a spanner. After the sensor is removed, it needs to be disconnected from the rest of the wiring loom via the large connector block located a few inches up from the sensor itself.
Position of standard oil pressure sensor:
Oil pressure sensor removed from engine and sitting on garage floor:
Step 8:
Now install the new oil filter. In this instance I used a Champion C141 oil filter. Remember to add a little bit of clean oil to the oil filter's rubber surround to insure a good seal. Make sure the filter is on tight, but only hand tight as this will make it easier to get off the next time!!!
New oil filter installed:
Step 9:
Now the new oil pressure sensor needs to be installed. Screw your 1/8 BSPT sender/adaptor into the block.
New oil pressure sensor installed:
Step 10:
Re-attach the un-dented sump pan back on to the engine. I used some suitable sealant to insure no oil leaks from around the sump pan. Then, once the sump pan is re-attached, screw in the new LMA sump plug. Once the sump plug is in tight, screw in the oil temperature sensor.
Sump pan refitted, LMA sump plug and oil temperature sensor screwed in:
Step 11:
Connect the sensor leads to the oil temperature sensor and secure to areas of the car chassis well away from any moving parts such as suspension and/or belts.
Secured oil temperature sensor leads to chassis (Note excess cable-tie lengths were cut off!):
Step 12:
Run both the oil temperature and oil pressure sensor leads up to the top of the engine bay, making sure they are kept well away from moving parts. I ran my leads over to the passenger side of the engine bay by cable-tying to the underside of the strut brace. Now you can lower the car back to the ground and refill the engine with some nice new oil!!!
Step 13:
The dash surround needs to be removed. But first, disconnect the heater rod in the driver's footwell as this will make things a LOT easier in the future. To do this, peer into the space above the ECU and you will see two stainless steel rods connected together via a bolt. After disconnecting the bolt joining the two rods together, tie a piece of string around the rod connected to the upper-central air vent.
Sting tied around heater rod connected to upper-central air vent:
Step 14:
Remove the screws holding the dash surround to the main dash. There will be 7 screws, 3 at the top of the dials, 2 at the bottom right near the wing-mirror controls and 2 at the opposite bottom left corner.
3 screws at top of dials which need removed:
2 screws near the wing-mirror controls:
Step 15:
After removing all the necessary screws, insure that the steering wheel is in the lowest possible setting as this will aid in the removal of the dash surround. There are some clips holding in the dash surround so do not be afraid to apply some pulling power when removing the dash, just be careful not to break the indicator and light stalks!!! Once the dash is loosened, don't forget to disconnect the mirror-controls! The wiring connector for the mirrors is easy to get at though (see pic)! Once the dash is removed, you can disconnect the string from the heater-control rod. This string can be reattached when refitting the dash.
Location of mirror-wiring harness:
Dash surround removed from car:
Step 16:
I was under the impression that the original gauge slot was DIN-sized. However, after trying to insert my Ebay-bought DIN-sized triple 52mm gauge holder into the slot, I found that my new purchase was slightly oversized. I therefore had to use my Dremel multitool to remove some dash material around the edges of the slot. Finally, a file was used to finish off the dash slot and insure the new gauge holder fitted flush.
Unmodified gauge slot:
Modified gauge slot:
Triple 52mm gauge holder inserted into dash slot:
Step 17:
Secure the new gauges into the gauge holder using whatever mechanism supplied with the gauges.
My new gauges secured into gauge holder:
Step 18:
Replace the new gauge holder, complete with new gauges, back into the dash surround to make sure the fit is perfect.
New gauges in dash surround:
Step 19:
Go back to the car and remove the 4 bolts which hold the original gauges to the dash. Disconnect the electrical connector at the back of the gauges and finally remove the old gauges.
Old gauges secured by 4 bolts at each corner:
Step 20:
After removing the old gauge pod and disconnecting the wiring connector, you will see many wires of different colours. The yellow wire located at one corner of the connector-block is the ignition +12V supply. This is required to power the new gauges (if they are electrical). At the opposite corner of the wiring connector will be a black wire. This is the Ground connection and will be required to earth the gauges (again, if they are electrical). So using whichever method you desire (cutting & soldering, crimping, etc.) connect some electrical wire to these two wires (yellow +12V and black Earth).
Wiring connector:
Step 21:
Now we need to run the wires from the engine bay into the car. I have removed the air-con, so I ran the wires through the bulkhead where the air-con pipes originally were. If you still have air-con, you'll have to think up other ways of running the sensor wires into the car (try using the ECU wiring loom hole or the one in the driver's footwell). For those with the air-con removed, here's how to do it! Remove the glove-box and you will see a metal panel.
Metal Panel behind glove-box:
Remove the metal panel (a few screws only) and you will see the air-con evaporator sitting behind it.
Air-con evaporator:
Remove the evaporator. It is held in by 4 screws, 2 at the front-top corners and 2 at the back-bottom corners. After removing this evaporator, you will see directly into your engine bay via the original air-con holes.
After removal of air-con evaporator:
(Note: In my case, the mini-radiator was still in this evaporator box. This needs to be removed otherwise it will hit the sensor wires. Simply undo the screws holding the evaporator together and it will come apart in two halves. Remove the radiator-type object and screw the box back together again!)
Step 22:
Back in STEP 12, I ran the sensor wires to the passenger side of the engine bay by tying them to my strut brace with zip-ties. Since the strut brace is roughly at the same height as the air-con holes, the wires can simply be passed through into the passenger footwell via one of these two holes. After running the wires through into the passenger footwell they can be passed up to the gauge slot by running them above the ECU. Refit the black evaporator box and screw into place (wires won't get trapped but check just in case!), then finally fit the metal panel and glove-box. Once you have the sensor, 12V positive and Earth wires ready, it's time to refit the dash!
Step 23:
This part can be quite fiddly. I know people who can refit dashes in seconds. I appear to be hopeless at it as it took me about 15 minutes getting everything lined up insuring I wasn't going to trap any wires! (At least I was safe!) Reattach the string to the heater rod. This will enable the rod to be pulled downwards when refitting the dash thus insuring the rod will line up where it should! Plug the necessary wires into the corresponding gauges and reconnect the dash surround making sure to connect the electrical-mirror harness! Reattach all the screws (3 into top of dash and 2 at each bottom corner). Reattach the heater rods together and remove the string.
Gauges in position after refitting dash:
Step 24:
Now comes the fun part! Turn that key and watch your new gauges become an awesome part of your GTiR!!!!
Gauges on:
And a nice little video to see the startup sequence for the gauges:
STARTUP MOVIE
So everyone, I think that just about covers everything!! I hope this will be of some use to you. It's definitely not a difficult task to do as even I managed it without making a mess!!!
Good luck!
Dave
I decided to make this "how to" simply because I know many people have expressed interest in doing this - either because their current gauges/sensors are broken, or because they fancy something new and more upmarket in their car. For me, my oil temperature gauge was not working, my oil pressure gauge was giving low readings (possibly due to another reason explained later) and my turbo boost gauge was off the scale at higher boost pressures. Hopefully this will give you a taste as to what's involved when replacing your standard centre gauges with something a little more flash!
Items needed:
3 new gauges with relevant sensors
DIN-sized 52mm triple gauge mounting plate
New oil filter
Brand new oil
Basic tools such as spanners, screw drivers, soldering iron etc.
Some electrical wire and connectors
Approximately a day's worth of free time
Step 1:
Remove all gauges and sensors from packaging and make sure everything is present. Since the oil temperature sensor is very awkward to replace, I decided to mount the oil temperature sensor in the sump. This is made incredibly easy by the LMA-group making a replacement sump plug with a 1/8th NPT hole tapped into it (my new oil temperature sensor required a 1/8th NPT hole although other adaptors are available). If anyone is in the same boat, this part can be bought through:
LMA-group : (+44)(0) 1234 268213
Part Number : LMA120
Special Note : The sump plug for the Nissan Sunny/Pulsar GTiR is M12 x 1.25!
Make sure the new oil pressure sensor has a 1/8th BSPT (tapered) thread as that is what the original GTiR item is! This way, a direct replacement is easy. (Alternatively, purchase a 1/8 BSPT female to 1/8 NPT female adaptor, or failing that; purchase a remote braided line kit, like the Subura remote oil pressure switch kits that are widely available.) Plus, find a boost hose in your engine bay which you can insert a T-piece into to read the engine's vacuum AND boost pressure. For example, if you have an aftermarket dump valve, the hose leading to this is perfectly acceptable.
Step 2:
Jack up the front of the car as high as it will go and secure on axle stands or something similar.
Step 3:
Drain the engine oil by removing the sump plug located at the back of the sump pan.

Step 4:
After examining the sump pan, it became clear that there was a large dent which deformed the shape of the sump pan quite considerably. Since the oil pickup line is located in the sump, any dents in the sump pan may affect the oil pickup, thus leading to a reduction in oil pressure (as mentioned at the start). After all the engine oil has been drained, remove the sump pan by removing the several M10 hex-head screws around the perimeter of the sump pan.
Oil Pickup visible after removal of sump pan:

Removed sump pan sitting on garage floor:

Step 5:
Through use of a block of wood and a rubber mallet, *gently* knock out the dents in the sump pan until the bottom of the pan is flat.
Better looking sump pan:

Step 6:
The oil filter is located in a particular nasty place, however this needs removed. Hopefully it will only be on tight enough to stop oil leaks but not so tight that it can't be removed by hand. If the filter is on very tight, then some sort of removal tool can be used. Fortunately I was able to get mine off without use of tools.
Position of (white) oil filter:

Step 7:
After removal of the oil filter, the next step is to remove the standard oil pressure sensor. This is easier to get at compared to the oil filter. It is a rather large sensor which can be removed using a spanner. After the sensor is removed, it needs to be disconnected from the rest of the wiring loom via the large connector block located a few inches up from the sensor itself.
Position of standard oil pressure sensor:

Oil pressure sensor removed from engine and sitting on garage floor:

Step 8:
Now install the new oil filter. In this instance I used a Champion C141 oil filter. Remember to add a little bit of clean oil to the oil filter's rubber surround to insure a good seal. Make sure the filter is on tight, but only hand tight as this will make it easier to get off the next time!!!
New oil filter installed:

Step 9:
Now the new oil pressure sensor needs to be installed. Screw your 1/8 BSPT sender/adaptor into the block.
New oil pressure sensor installed:

Step 10:
Re-attach the un-dented sump pan back on to the engine. I used some suitable sealant to insure no oil leaks from around the sump pan. Then, once the sump pan is re-attached, screw in the new LMA sump plug. Once the sump plug is in tight, screw in the oil temperature sensor.
Sump pan refitted, LMA sump plug and oil temperature sensor screwed in:

Step 11:
Connect the sensor leads to the oil temperature sensor and secure to areas of the car chassis well away from any moving parts such as suspension and/or belts.
Secured oil temperature sensor leads to chassis (Note excess cable-tie lengths were cut off!):

Step 12:
Run both the oil temperature and oil pressure sensor leads up to the top of the engine bay, making sure they are kept well away from moving parts. I ran my leads over to the passenger side of the engine bay by cable-tying to the underside of the strut brace. Now you can lower the car back to the ground and refill the engine with some nice new oil!!!
Step 13:
The dash surround needs to be removed. But first, disconnect the heater rod in the driver's footwell as this will make things a LOT easier in the future. To do this, peer into the space above the ECU and you will see two stainless steel rods connected together via a bolt. After disconnecting the bolt joining the two rods together, tie a piece of string around the rod connected to the upper-central air vent.
Sting tied around heater rod connected to upper-central air vent:

Step 14:
Remove the screws holding the dash surround to the main dash. There will be 7 screws, 3 at the top of the dials, 2 at the bottom right near the wing-mirror controls and 2 at the opposite bottom left corner.
3 screws at top of dials which need removed:

2 screws near the wing-mirror controls:

Step 15:
After removing all the necessary screws, insure that the steering wheel is in the lowest possible setting as this will aid in the removal of the dash surround. There are some clips holding in the dash surround so do not be afraid to apply some pulling power when removing the dash, just be careful not to break the indicator and light stalks!!! Once the dash is loosened, don't forget to disconnect the mirror-controls! The wiring connector for the mirrors is easy to get at though (see pic)! Once the dash is removed, you can disconnect the string from the heater-control rod. This string can be reattached when refitting the dash.
Location of mirror-wiring harness:

Dash surround removed from car:

Step 16:
I was under the impression that the original gauge slot was DIN-sized. However, after trying to insert my Ebay-bought DIN-sized triple 52mm gauge holder into the slot, I found that my new purchase was slightly oversized. I therefore had to use my Dremel multitool to remove some dash material around the edges of the slot. Finally, a file was used to finish off the dash slot and insure the new gauge holder fitted flush.
Unmodified gauge slot:

Modified gauge slot:

Triple 52mm gauge holder inserted into dash slot:

Step 17:
Secure the new gauges into the gauge holder using whatever mechanism supplied with the gauges.
My new gauges secured into gauge holder:

Step 18:
Replace the new gauge holder, complete with new gauges, back into the dash surround to make sure the fit is perfect.
New gauges in dash surround:

Step 19:
Go back to the car and remove the 4 bolts which hold the original gauges to the dash. Disconnect the electrical connector at the back of the gauges and finally remove the old gauges.
Old gauges secured by 4 bolts at each corner:

Step 20:
After removing the old gauge pod and disconnecting the wiring connector, you will see many wires of different colours. The yellow wire located at one corner of the connector-block is the ignition +12V supply. This is required to power the new gauges (if they are electrical). At the opposite corner of the wiring connector will be a black wire. This is the Ground connection and will be required to earth the gauges (again, if they are electrical). So using whichever method you desire (cutting & soldering, crimping, etc.) connect some electrical wire to these two wires (yellow +12V and black Earth).
Wiring connector:

Step 21:
Now we need to run the wires from the engine bay into the car. I have removed the air-con, so I ran the wires through the bulkhead where the air-con pipes originally were. If you still have air-con, you'll have to think up other ways of running the sensor wires into the car (try using the ECU wiring loom hole or the one in the driver's footwell). For those with the air-con removed, here's how to do it! Remove the glove-box and you will see a metal panel.
Metal Panel behind glove-box:

Remove the metal panel (a few screws only) and you will see the air-con evaporator sitting behind it.
Air-con evaporator:

Remove the evaporator. It is held in by 4 screws, 2 at the front-top corners and 2 at the back-bottom corners. After removing this evaporator, you will see directly into your engine bay via the original air-con holes.
After removal of air-con evaporator:

(Note: In my case, the mini-radiator was still in this evaporator box. This needs to be removed otherwise it will hit the sensor wires. Simply undo the screws holding the evaporator together and it will come apart in two halves. Remove the radiator-type object and screw the box back together again!)
Step 22:
Back in STEP 12, I ran the sensor wires to the passenger side of the engine bay by tying them to my strut brace with zip-ties. Since the strut brace is roughly at the same height as the air-con holes, the wires can simply be passed through into the passenger footwell via one of these two holes. After running the wires through into the passenger footwell they can be passed up to the gauge slot by running them above the ECU. Refit the black evaporator box and screw into place (wires won't get trapped but check just in case!), then finally fit the metal panel and glove-box. Once you have the sensor, 12V positive and Earth wires ready, it's time to refit the dash!
Step 23:
This part can be quite fiddly. I know people who can refit dashes in seconds. I appear to be hopeless at it as it took me about 15 minutes getting everything lined up insuring I wasn't going to trap any wires! (At least I was safe!) Reattach the string to the heater rod. This will enable the rod to be pulled downwards when refitting the dash thus insuring the rod will line up where it should! Plug the necessary wires into the corresponding gauges and reconnect the dash surround making sure to connect the electrical-mirror harness! Reattach all the screws (3 into top of dash and 2 at each bottom corner). Reattach the heater rods together and remove the string.
Gauges in position after refitting dash:

Step 24:
Now comes the fun part! Turn that key and watch your new gauges become an awesome part of your GTiR!!!!
Gauges on:

And a nice little video to see the startup sequence for the gauges:
STARTUP MOVIE
So everyone, I think that just about covers everything!! I hope this will be of some use to you. It's definitely not a difficult task to do as even I managed it without making a mess!!!
Good luck!
Dave
I thought you asked "where does the sensor go if you want it in the sump?" 
