AR7E - Alcester Racing 7's Equipe

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We'll go into more detail when time permits, but here is the outline procedure for fitting the SPA Oil/Oil Gauge:

1. Drain Oil
2. Remove Old Sensors
3. Prepare Hose
4. Install OT Sensor
5. Connect OP Hose and Sensor
6. Refill with Oil
7. Locate OP Sensor
8. Lay Loom
9. Fit Gauge and Configure
10. Fit External Warning Lights (optional)

Drain Oil

• Put the car on axle stands
• Position Oil-drain can/pan
• Undo wet-sump plug
• Remove Oil Filter
• Remove Apollo plug (Take care - brace with 32mm spanner)

Remove Old Sensors

• OT Sensor on side of Apollo (take care not to dent/distort thin walled Apollo tank)
• OP Sensor on LHS of wet-sump (if fitted with remote mounting kit - RMK)

Prepare Hose

• Fit outer lock nuts onto hose
• Flare metal braid at each end
• Fit olive between braid and silicon tube
• Insert spigot of hose connector into silicon tube
• Tighten lock-nut
• Repeat at other end
• Wrap heat-resistant spiral wrap around length of hose so that the braided steel does damage anything it comes into contact with.

Install OT Sensor

• Wrap OT thread with PTFE tape (couple of turns)
• Insert into Apollo tank and tighten carefully until 'firm' - note that this is a tapered thread and is *not* designed to completed screw into the body of the Apollo tank. Be careful not to overtighten and damage the tank (costs a lot more than the sensor...)

Connect OP Hose and Sensor

• Compare old OP sensor thread with male-male (MM) connectors and select correct item (1/8 BSP -> M12x1.5 in our case with RMK)
• Fit SPA Sensor to hose and tighten until Dowty washer is compressed
• Wrap 1/8BSP male thread on MM connector with PTFE tape and connect to hose.
• Either fit appropriate Dowty washer to M12x1.5 male or apply Hylomar sealant to base of connector (not the thread).
• Connect M12x1.5 (and therefore hose/sensor assembly) to OP mounting point (on RMK in our case).
• Tighten all connections.

Refill with Oil

• Clean Apollo plug, apply Hylomar to base of plug (not threads) and refit using 32mm spanner on tank nut to avoid distorting the tank
• Clean wet-sump plug and apply Hylomar. Refit.
• Part-fill new oil filter with oil (let it soak down properly). Apply a little oil to the rubber seal. Refit to RMK - it will only take about 3/4 of a turn and does not need to be super-tight.
• Double, triple-check that the sump plug, Apollo plug, OT sensor, OP hose, OP sensor and oil filter are fitted.
• Check once more...
• Add oil - but not too much... A wet-sump k-series with Apollo takes about 6.5 litres. Start with a little bit less than this. Check for leaks and then add small amounts extra once the engine is warm.

Locate Sensor

The 300mm of oil hose will give you plenty of possible places to locate the sensor. Before you finalise the sensor location, lay the loom (next step and then return here).

 Make sure the hose is clear of the engine belts and pulleys and fit where ever is sensible. Note - *before* you finally tie-wrap the sensor down, attach the loom plug - it is much harder to do this the other way around.

Tie wrap the sensor securely...

Lay the Loom

The plugs at either end of the loom are quite bulky. The easiest way to route the loom from the dash to the sensors is through the large reverse-light-switch (RLS) hole in the transmission tunnel (disconnect the RLS wires first, then feed the loom through from the cockpit to the transmission tunnel - noting that you may need to fit an appropriate grommet)

Arrange the loom so that the engine-bay routing avoids significant slack - this can be dealt with in the cockpit/dash area without risking loose wiring being eaten by pulleys and drive belts etc. 

When you are happy with the sensor and loom location, tie-wrap it all down...

Fit Gauge and Configure

Fit appropriate power connectors and wire in. Earth was handled using a ring-connector bolted to an existing chassis-earth point. Positive power was handled by fitting a spade connector into the old gauge power/signal plug.

Remove the existing OT/WT switch (if fitted) and tie-wrap out of sight under the dash (with the switch in the WT position...)

The gauge is supposed to be a std. 52mm diameter housing - but ours appeared to be 53mm - so you might have to enlarge the OP gauge aperture using gentle filing.

Note also that the retaining nuts for the metal bracket are small and fiddly and that the screw threads on the gauge are relatively short - it is hard to tighten these adequately by hand in such a confined space.

Fire the engine and check for leaks.

Configure the gauge for appropriate units (leave the alarm settings for now).

Allow the engine to warm up before checking the hot-running oil level and adding extra oil as necessary.

Fit External Warning Lights (Optional)

The gauge supports two external warning alarm connections. These can be used to drive low-current devices such as 12V DC LEDs or relays for heavier loads. Refer to manual for details - you can damage the gauge by running inappropriate loads...

Since May 6th, 2004

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