ok so I got the temp gauge from wal-mart and I have some questions on how to install it . Do I use teflon tape on the threads? and can I just mount it on the hood or cowl(where the wipers are) with out a pod?

I'd use teflon tape on the threads myself. If I remember right, teflon is good to about 300 degrees f., which is higher than your water will ever get (I hope).

 

Mounting the gauge on the hood without a pod might be asking for trouble. The gauge pod protects it from debris and moisture that can get into the gauge and wreck it. Driving through a heavy rain at 60mph, those little drops can find their way into a lot of small cracks and holes.

what if I tape it up real good with duct tape?

I don't know if duct tape would work that well. The best thing might be to take silicone (to match the gauge color) and seal everything up well.

duct tape will waether and dry out, and it will peel away after a while, leaving a dry, flaky cheesecloth pattern.

 

if taping up the gauge, tape real good around the face where it meets the bezel, and any electricla fittings. use electrical black tape.

 

if there is a light bulb (as in the wal-mart temp gauge) put grease on the bulb'd contacts, and shoot some clear silicone in there to keep water out. maybe tape up the sensor tube .

 

suppose you could mount it on the cowl (ea81). maybe you could make a hole, for the bezel to mount on the firewall below, and have the it stick out at you from an angle that would flow with the car rather than have it sticking straight out.

 

on an ea82 body you could easily mount id down between the wiper blades, and tick it under the hood. would have a good chance of clearing it, because its a subaru.