A friend want's to install an oil guage in his car, and he needs to know the difference between an electric and mechanical one, and also how to install the electric one. And would one be better than the other, and/or easier to install? Can anyone give me a tip, I have one in each of my cars but had them installed for me while having major work done to each car, so I never had to do it myself. Thanks much in advance.

As for what type of vehicle it is, I think it's a newer minivan ( yeah I know like what's the damn point right...but he wants to)

An electric oil gauge gets an electric signal from an oil pressure sender. A mechanical gauge reads the oil pressure directly from it's own oil line that runs all the way to the gauge. I'm a bit perplexed as to why he would want an oil pressure gauge. If the pressure gets too low, the low oil pressure light will come on.

I don't get it either, but he insists on installing one, in a freakin minivan.. Oh well, thanks for the advice I'll pass it on, and try once again to talk him out of installing one. What a waste of money.

oil preassure lights don't always come on in time as they only tell if the preassure is below a fixed point or not, with a guage you can tell when it is lower than normal and be aware of any possible problems that may be starting, you may not actually have to read the figures, just the fact that the finger is not in its usual possition may be enough to alert you (this of course assumes you look at your guages, depsite what they think most drivers dont really look so always have a good bright oil warning light as well ).

re electric or mechanical, i'd go for an electrical one as i've seen a few mechanical (is that really the word? surely hydraulic would be better? ) ones fail either at the guage or in the pipe and apart from having to retrim a granada ghia years ago when it all became rather oil covered inside, i've also had the delights of having hot engine oil squirted from a failed pipe onto my leg when in the outside lane of the motorway.

which ever way your mate goes make sure everything is tidy, secure and with good connections and insulation through bulkheads etc. and beware of heat from the exhaust if the oilway tap is near it.

I believe nearly all cars come with a pressure guage(or rather a light..).. although I'm not sure, there may be ones that don't :|

Is there a little red oil light on your friends dash that lights up when the ignition is on but the engine is off? Then when the engine is started, it goes out? If so, that's an oil pressure warning light (which also doubles as a low level but it amounts to the same thing, if it comes on your big end is likely screwed! They're so insensitive lol)

I've owned a car where the light came on when you were empty, typical Chevy junk, only GM car I ever owned, and it was a hand me down. GM makes the worst cars in the world. Most of them don't even have a tach.

My new car has it all, so I don't need to install anything. But I can't figure out why this guy wants to install one, whatever, his car.