Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Have been trying to find the correct ohm values/range for a 1946 oil pressure sending unit, anyone out there who can give me this information?

I cannot say with absolute certainty the 46-7 oil pressure sender has the same resistance as the fuel sender but if they are like gauges used in other year Packards the resistance will be the same.

21st series used Stewart-Warner gauges and the resistance on the fuel sender in the 46-7 models is 100 ohms empty, 0 ohms full. This is the old Stewart-Warner range and appears to be obsolete as far as what you can find in modern or in universal senders. Unless you find an old NOS sender it may be hard to come by.

The closest I have found for sale in modern fuel senders is a GM range of 0-90 which is backward for the S-W gauges. Even reworking the sender to reverse the resistance direction or trying to add another 10 ohms still causes the gauge to read incorrectly at one end or the other. Any GM oil senders would probably have the same issue. Fuel senders in the proper 100-0 range have been custom made for others on the forum by KM Lifestyles but there is no mention on their website of them making or repairing oil pressure senders. If you do find something please let us know.

If you cannot find anything and have a non working oil gauge probably the next best option would be to have one of the instrument places convert the gauge so the working part uses a modern movement while keeping the old face intact. That would allow the stock look but you can get a modern sender almost anwhere.

I have solved the fuel gauge with a GM sender turned "upside-down", the readings where acceptable.
Still have to figure out the oil and temp gauges, but have not found a good gauge repair shop since CGR closed down...

I don't know if anyone has asked KM Lifestyles if they can do the oil senders but as far as temp gauge repairs the Clippers used the old style direct reading gauges. Typical issue of broken capillary tubes or ether that has leaked out of the bulb has been repaired by these two companies on other forum posters cars. Both get good reviews here and on other forums.

John Wolf

Bobs Speedometer

Another brand car forum mentions that another fellow in Vermont that did the temp gauges for years and did work for others here on this forum seems to have retired.