Hey all,
quick run down on a fun little project i did over this past weekend.
Many of us have broken clocks, or clocks in our aftermarket stereos, so why let that space go to waste? For 15 bucks shipped to my door and about 3 hours of my time, i was able to get this result:


Step one, buy the digital gauge. found this gem:
Blue LED Temperature Display External Sensor
Part # 320-506 for partsexpress.com
Other models offer a red display as opposed to blue, or dual zone temp monitoring. Dimensions were very close to what i figured i could stuff in, and the price was so minimal, I took the plunge.

Step 2, trim to fit and mount-
Tools used:
1. cutting pliers (for cutting plastic)
2. soldering iron (for melting as well as "welding" plastic)
3. flat file (to file down any plastic not smooth after cutting)
3. glue gun (for final mounting and securing)
This is where some creativity was needed, as this unit is certainly larger than the clock and its plastic housing it replaces. I started by removing the plastic "snap mount points for the clock, and melting and filing down anything above the back (in dash) side of the original clock mount location, areas of this indicated by red lines. Next, i trimmed the upper right hand corner of the temp gauge housing, indicated by yellow line. With patience, this created a perfect, flush and aligned fit.


I would hate this if it were crooked, misaligned or otherwise looked improperly installed, but as mentioned, patience paid off here.
The only other dash modification was the removal of the in dash mount point that the now removed trim mount would snap into. Its the upper left most trim mount spot, cut it right out of the dash.




Step 3. Wire in
The temp guage came with a 38" long cable for the temperature probe itself, and of course, removing the clock frees up a switched 12V power source, so this is pretty straight forward. If memory serves correctly, grey with black stripe is positive and solid grey is negative, but always double check with a voltmeter. I was prepared to splice in a longer run, thinking 38" wasn't quite going to make the trip from the dash to the lower portion of the front bumper, but it somehow did (is it really only 38"? i never measured it). Ran it through the firewall on the drivers side footwell where the hood cable runs through. Note that for me, a previous alarm install left a small drilled hole through the rubber surrounding the hood latch cable, so I re-used this to get the probe through.
Final mount location is on the back side of where indicated by the red X, wire is secured with good old zip ties, with the probe essentially hanging in the air. According to the seller, its suitable for fish tanks, so getting this thing wet should not matter at all. A few messy rainy days in with no issues at all so far.


All in, i'm happy with the final fit and finish, the gauge seems to be quite accurate, (measured against my buddies 2014 Accord since we commute the same route, and his car and this were reporting the same through the short 15 mile run)
The blue color gauge is now my inspiration to replace all my dash lights with blue to get everything looking matched!

Any questions, please feel free to ask!
Thanks

Nicely done! Been thinking about doing this for a while.

Awesome.
Guess what my next mod is!

Me too!!��

It looks very bright, is it blinding at night?

Great mod, I love mine! Here's the link I followed from a while back. Some people substituted volt meters too on the last page.

Got rid of my clock for an outside temp gauge

Can I have your clock?? I have been wanting one for the past 18yrs.

Just installed one today...love it. It is auto dimming. Anyone wanna buy a clock....lol

Think I'm going to have to try this mod. Thanks for the write up.

@603T4R

Is the temperature thingy still accurate? Is the display still good? TIA

Sure is. Made it through a bit of winter, all summer with a couple camping trips and a couple mudding runs. Admittedly I drive my M3 99% of the summer time so there's only maybe 1500 miles racked up since I put it in but I have no qualms about it not lasting for awhile. The only issue is the gauge will shoot up as it picks up engine/exhaust heat at a standstill but once in motion it's accurate again. This could probably be remedied by relocating the sensor probe but it hasn't bothered me enough to do so just yet.

I installed the "Drok" brand from Amazon. It has outside temp, clock & voltage. The screen alternates every 5 seconds. I mounted the temp prob on the core support behind grill on the drivers side. It is very accurate

Perfect, this is exactly what I was looking for! Since my clock died I've wanted to do something like this to get the extra info I lack. Thanks!

Hey! I performed this mod with the gauge linked by the OP, but i can't figure out the wiring to control the dimming. How did you accomplish this?

Side-note: When installing mine I took the circuit board out of the gray housing it came in. This way I could use 3M double sided tape to simply secure the display to the existing clip-in plastic shield.

My first attempt at the Drok brand netted me the wrong temp display. Plus the volt meter was off .1 volt. I’m exchanging it for hopefully the correct Fahrenheit display. I think I can mount it in the old clock housing. Including the buttons. The spacing of them is similar to the OEM clock buttons.

I will have to extend the temp sensor wiring.


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