I have this two in one gauge . It,s almost 4 inch diameter. Would this be from a truck ? Surely a truck dashboard is big enough for two separate gauges. Or is it from a tractor or other machine ?
Lots of 30's cars and newer English cars have 2 in 1 gauges like that. Float in the oil pan and a switch to toggle between the gas and oil. Don't know about the size, but that looks like a new aftermarket gauge to me.
Thanks, here,s the before pics , old and crusty. Took it apart and soaked the rear shell in cleaning vinegar for 2 days
There's presumably some manufacturing cost saving in fitting a dual purpose gauge. Besides, being able to check the engine oil from a gauge on the dash is a useful thing, but you wouldn't necessarily require a constant reading, so adding that functionality to the fuel gauge makes some sense. That gauge looks great! Chris
A quick google search shows that it's a British thing, Lucas and Jaeger gauges have it. and it seems backwards to me...they should have the oil gage front and center, and fuel require a push to read. Because last weekend I was driving an old British car with a full time oil pressure gage, and it flatlined.....
I had the same thought on first read. Then I reread it, it probably an oil level gauge, not pressure, it may be inaccurate when the engine is running and all the oil isn't in the pan. So my assumption is that it is intended to show the level when the engine is stopped, just like the dipstick.
That could well be, I guess more research is needed. I've never seen an oil level gauge on an old car, but the Brits did some neat things. The fuel gauge on my TD is a light, that goes on when fuel level drops to about 1/4 tank.
The 1932 Hupmobile I used to own had a gas/oil gauge, and I have seen them on other old cars. I think there is one on the 1934 Pierce Arrow and Cord also. They were on the higher end cars of the 30's in the US.
By taking a couple of pokes at the interwebs, it seems that 100mm (slightly less than 4") gauges are British for sure, and likely other metric cultures including Japanese. I think big, commercial truck, diesel engines have supersized crankcases so an 'oil level' gauge may be very useful for them. This is beyond my experience and intelligence so take this info with a grain of salt.
Without doubt it is an oil level gauge, not oil pressure. Generally Brit cars didn't have oil pressure gauges, typically just a light, which Ialways took to mean 'install new engine soon, if not immediately', or 'prepare to continue journey on foot'. I had a 1999 Jaguar XKR which, being a performance, grand tourer, had an oil pressure gauge, as the discerning driver of such a quality car would reasonably expect. Switching on the ignition the gauge would, in a smooth, gentlemanly fashion, move from zero to the 12 o'clock position and stay there, whether the engine was running or not!!!! Chris
That was when Ford still owned Jaguar, and was a Ford thing. Although the Brits didn't quite get it right. Ford kept getting US customer complaints about oil pressure falling off while idling (even after explaining that was normal) so used a faux gauge connected to a regular oil pressure sensor like would be used for a oil light. As long as there was enough pressure to trigger the sensor the gauge would read 'normal', if pressure dropped enough the gauge would zero out...
The British cars have them as part of the start-up procedure. When the ignition is turned on, the "oil level" circuit is energized, so you know how many pints of oil have leaked out while parked.