renix to 99HO swap ? 's

So here it goes .and yes I did do a lot of searching !! 34 pgs of tread to be exact!
So the main delemia that I'm running in to has to deal with the coolent temp sensor located in the back of the head . The 99 has the boss for it but it is closed other wize . I don't feel comfortibal drilling and taping the head ! It looks like its super close to the exaust port , and this engin has verry low miles on it. So I don't want to mess it up .
So were is or what is the best way to relocat this sensor ? I live in AZ so I need to keep a good eye on my engine temps .so not running it is not a good option . So id love to hear your sugesstions .... putting a differnt head on isn't gonna fly right now as I'm kinda short on$
And I have one other question too . It has to deal with the power stearing pump. The engine that I have came with all of the accesorys as far as the manifold and pump and brackets . So can I just hook up my lines to the new pump ? My old one was on its way out and I rember reading that the newer pumps were a upgrade in stering power .
Thanks for all and any help
I can't do spell cheak right now beacouse I'm using my phone for this thank you for your understanding

It is a little touchy drilling out for a pipe tap, because the hole needs to be tapered too and tapping a straight drilled hole can easily lead to torn out threads. If you do it, you should drill, then get to size with a tapered reamer before tapping. Another solution would be to put a tee into the thermostat housing to run both sensors. This might compromise the accuracy because they would be exposed to more cooling from the air. What about using some kind of hose clamp or small bracket to strap it to the outside of the head? It would probably read lower than before, but once you set a baseline, you would know if you were overheating or not. Adapters are also available to go in the radiator hoses.

pretty sure the sensor in the head is only used for the guage, so you shouldn't need it.

look at the t stat housing for a 91 up-see that flat section in the front? I drilled and tapped it for the 1/8 npt threads-works great.

right next to the bolt-there is enough room for it
back side for reference

i do realize that but temps here can get up to 115 here in the summer and if im stuck in trafic or im goin slow on the trail id really like to be able to keep a eye on things . so ill look for a adapter for the stock or a after market one . i was just hoping that some one might have all ready incounted this problem and had a fix for it .
but thanks for you help so far !

markaboo929 said:

look at the t stat housing for a 91 up-see that flat section in the front? I drilled and tapped it for the 1/8 npt threads-works great.

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thak you that helps a bunch!! did u notice a big differance in temp readings ?

well it technically is the best spot for the temp reading-engine outlet BEFORE the radiator,so it is the temp of the coolant in the engine block and head to the rad-water pump pulls from the bottom hose.That is where I put mine-I also did a swap from my original '88 renix set up to an '03 grand cherokee engine (4.0) I kept the renix comp systen.:eeks1:
The only thing that I noticed is when the heater is on the temp goes up -not in reality-but due to the heater hose passage it runs in-no big deal really.The engine temp remains the same.

just to clarafie :
are u talking about on the neck of the housing or about the boss next to next to were
the other sensor go in over the heater outlet ?
thaks again for your help

if you are looking at the picture of the outside-side of the t stat housing-right next to the hole for the bolt there is a flat round section.Which is raised-that is where my temp sender for the gauge is located
the picture with the 2 housings side by side is where the passage for the heater hose is-which is the engine side of the housing.

I still don't understand why you need the sensor from the head. I used a thermostat housing from the HO engine, which has a hole in it for a sensor. The Renix sensor fit in that hole, and the wiring reached.

Slip Kid said:

I still don't understand why you need the sensor from the head. I used a thermostat housing from the HO engine, which has a hole in it for a sensor. The Renix sensor fit in that hole, and the wiring reached.

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The sensor you are thinking about is for turning on the electric fan. The sensor that is being the challenge is the one in the back of the head that feeds the temperature gauge on the instrument panel.

Considering the thermostat housing very likely sees the hottest temperature in the cooling system, I really don't think there would be a problem with it not reading correctly or accurately there.

happy lazy days for me !! i was browsing hescos site lowe and behold they sell there high flow thermastat housing with a 1/8 taped in it all ready ; ) thanks for all of your help its good to know that theres a alternitive if i mess up doing it my self ! lol i might just get it when i order the tps adapter and save the hassel . either way markaboo you were right on the $ with your advice !

If you haven't tapped things out before, a pipe tap (tapered threads) is a little tricky, and if you don't already have the tap, you have that expense too. If you tap it too deep, the sensor won't bottom on the threads to tighten up and seal.

chrslefty said:

happy lazy days for me !! i was browsing hescos site lowe and behold they sell there high flow thermastat housing with a 1/8 taped in it all ready ; ) thanks for all of your help its good to know that theres a alternitive if i mess up doing it my self ! lol i might just get it when i order the tps adapter and save the hassel . either way markaboo you were right on the $ with your advice !

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AHH no need to get the tps adapter-just elongate the one for the ho and splice in the wiring connector for it-all you need to do is make a map adjuster to give the tps a 7 volt reference instead of the 5 volt renix one-the swing of the arm for the renix is offset from the center where the 99 up one is center swing-if you use the 5 v ref it only goes to 3 volts wot-it needs 7 v to get a good 5v at wot---ask me how it works! a home made map adjuster is around $12-$15

markaboo929 said:

AHH no need to get the tps adapter-just elongate the one for the ho and splice in the wiring connector for it-all you need to do is make a map adjuster to give the tps a 7 volt reference instead of the 5 volt renix one-the swing of the arm for the renix is offset from the center where the 99 up one is center swing-if you use the 5 v ref it only goes to 3 volts wot-it needs 7 v to get a good 5v at wot---ask me how it works! a home made map adjuster is around $12-$15

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I thought the HO tps works in reverse of the renix.