Baby, It's Cold Outside!
Well, maybe. But now, I will be able to check the temp from inside the sturdy confines of Järn with a new toy I picked up on Ebay, the rare and highly sought after accessory, part no. 1129311-5, Volvo Ambient Temperature Gauge, 240, 260 1981-1993, made by VDO!
Really not the most useful tool, at least in these climes, since it's intended to help warn a driver of freezing conditions on the roadway. This is helpful where you might be driving in the mountains and going from warmer to colder temperatures, or when the weather is unpredictable and you need to be aware of conditions that can cause an icy roadway. Around here, if it's cold, it's cold, and I pretty much figure there's going to be ice anyway. And I don't do any mountain driving to go snow skiing, but still it's a neat accessory, and one that I've been hunting for for a while now to fill in that last gauge hole in the dashboard. They are no longer listed in the Volvo accessory catalog (not an analog model--they now list a digital one that doesn't really go with the other gauges), but when they were available, they listed for over $200, and I wasn't about to pay something like that for a thermometer, and Ebay bidders seem to think they must come with solid gold bricks attached given what they bid for them.
BUT, after carefully biding my time, I finally found one worth getting, and the bidding hadn't veered over into the ridiculous realm. I watched it closely, and at the very last minute snapped it up for (a still ridiculous) $78.
BUT, as opposed to most of the gauges listed on Ebay, THIS one was NOS (New Old Stock). That's right--a brand new gauge with light, in the box, with ALL of the hardware: rubber feet AND metal bracket so it could be used in either type of gauge position, the entire wiring harness to tap into the fuse box, the entire length of sending cable from the gauge to the front bumper, a rubber firewall grommet, zip ties, a bumper mounting bracket, ILLUSTRATED INSTRUCTIONS, and--and, hmm.
And no sender.
Yep, despite my great find, I still have ONE piece left to make it work, the actual sending unit itself that bolts onto the tiny ell-shaped bracket that came in the box. (Part No. 1347010, for the curious.) ::sigh:: Oh well--surely I can find one for a relatively inexpensive cost. (Famous last words)
Anyway, here's what the item looks like in its nice cushy box--
As a tip, be VERY cautious if you decide to get one of these, because sometimes sellers will only be selling the gauge, and not the whole thing with cable and wiring. You might think trying to find a sender is bad news, but unless you like playing with wiring, it's MUCH less fun to try to cobble together all the right wiring and have something that won't burn up in your driveway.
The part number above is for the whole gauge kit, and if you have a seller who's saying that's the part number, be SURE to ask if it has all of the hardware that's supposed to be in the box. Especially those instructions. They aren't much for verbal length, and really it's not a difficult gauge to install, but they have very clear photos and illustrations, and you'll be much more confident that you did it right.
Now, to find that sending unit...
Really not the most useful tool, at least in these climes, since it's intended to help warn a driver of freezing conditions on the roadway. This is helpful where you might be driving in the mountains and going from warmer to colder temperatures, or when the weather is unpredictable and you need to be aware of conditions that can cause an icy roadway. Around here, if it's cold, it's cold, and I pretty much figure there's going to be ice anyway. And I don't do any mountain driving to go snow skiing, but still it's a neat accessory, and one that I've been hunting for for a while now to fill in that last gauge hole in the dashboard. They are no longer listed in the Volvo accessory catalog (not an analog model--they now list a digital one that doesn't really go with the other gauges), but when they were available, they listed for over $200, and I wasn't about to pay something like that for a thermometer, and Ebay bidders seem to think they must come with solid gold bricks attached given what they bid for them.
BUT, after carefully biding my time, I finally found one worth getting, and the bidding hadn't veered over into the ridiculous realm. I watched it closely, and at the very last minute snapped it up for (a still ridiculous) $78.
BUT, as opposed to most of the gauges listed on Ebay, THIS one was NOS (New Old Stock). That's right--a brand new gauge with light, in the box, with ALL of the hardware: rubber feet AND metal bracket so it could be used in either type of gauge position, the entire wiring harness to tap into the fuse box, the entire length of sending cable from the gauge to the front bumper, a rubber firewall grommet, zip ties, a bumper mounting bracket, ILLUSTRATED INSTRUCTIONS, and--and, hmm.
And no sender.
Yep, despite my great find, I still have ONE piece left to make it work, the actual sending unit itself that bolts onto the tiny ell-shaped bracket that came in the box. (Part No. 1347010, for the curious.) ::sigh:: Oh well--surely I can find one for a relatively inexpensive cost. (Famous last words)
Anyway, here's what the item looks like in its nice cushy box--
As a tip, be VERY cautious if you decide to get one of these, because sometimes sellers will only be selling the gauge, and not the whole thing with cable and wiring. You might think trying to find a sender is bad news, but unless you like playing with wiring, it's MUCH less fun to try to cobble together all the right wiring and have something that won't burn up in your driveway.
The part number above is for the whole gauge kit, and if you have a seller who's saying that's the part number, be SURE to ask if it has all of the hardware that's supposed to be in the box. Especially those instructions. They aren't much for verbal length, and really it's not a difficult gauge to install, but they have very clear photos and illustrations, and you'll be much more confident that you did it right.
Now, to find that sending unit...
posted by Terry at 1/20/2006 09:06:00 AM
4 Comments:
Any luck finding a compatible sender for that gauge? I've fallen into the same trap myself and have had no luck so far.
No, not yet, but I haven't really been looking all that hard. I think a bit more diligence on eBay Motors would probably turn one up, but I just haven't had the time. I have a friend down in Australia who has a whole fleet of older Volvos, and I thought he might have a better track to finding one. Apparently these things are even more uncommon down there than they are in the States.
Here's your answer:
"Volvo used a VDO water temp sender for the air temp gauge. Long ago I found myself with 3 gauges and only one sender so I went to a local parts house and the guy looked up the number. The egauges/VDO part number is 323-095 it's a 1/8"x27 thread 250 degree sender ~$7.00. I tested it against the stock Volvo sender and it's an exact match reading wise.
I mount the senders under the front bumper this gives a good reading of road/air temp. The gauge has standard VDO wiring, + power, - ground, and G for sender input. One wire from the light is spliced into the ground wire and the other gets spliced into the light brown wire carrying power to the console lights."
From Dave Shannon at Brickboard.com
Thank you so much, Z! Shoulda known to ask the Oracle of Dave about this. But this is great good news, and makes me glad I found a gauge for relatively cheap.
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