Gauges....Which ones do we really need?

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Gauges....Which ones do we really need?

I want to ad some gauges to my 4Runner so I can really know whats going on with my engine, etc.

Which gauges do you favor and why?
........ (oil pressure/oil temp/water temp/trans temp/amps/volts/girlfriend crabb-O-meter!.....hehe just checking if you are really reading all of this! )............etc.

Which of these do we really need to help us watch and protect our investment?

What brand is known for being a good value, yet reliable? (what do you use?)

Is "Liquid Filled" a good choice for better reliability for off road?

Mounting locations? I like the Pillar mount, but I'm having trouble finding a source for these.

I've been searching on the net tonight and found a brand called "Auto Meter". They have several styles to choose from. I kind of like their "Pro Comp" and "Carbon Fiber" Styles.

......any thoughts?



http://www.autometer.com/

 

[MaddBaggins]

I don't have anything other than stock yet, but I think amps, tranny temp and oil temp would be good. When I get around to that a pillar mount would be sweet. Scott has a nice pillar mount on his Taco, and I think he is monitoring the 3 I mentioned.

Another Tolkien fan :wavey:

 

[datrupr]

Mine has amps, oil pressure stock. That along with the other prerequisite guages. I think a Trans temp guage would be a good to have also though.

 

[gjackson]

I think you hit the main ones on the head. I would say:
Amps, Oil Temp, Oil Press, Tach.
For an auto add Trans Oil Temp.

Then add whatever specifics you need for your vehicle -- If I boost my turbo and add a larger intercooler, then I'll add an exhaust manifold temp and boost pressure.

I'm using VDO guages at the moment. They served me well in off-road racing, so I think they're pretty tough.

One huge drawback of a Defender is the terrible dash and the lack of space to mount anything -- switches or guages. Don't currently know if anyone makes a pillar mount for the Defender. I'm not sure if there would be space. I took out the stock radio and relocated it to the tuffy box. Then put a panel over the stereo hole for guages and switches. I think I'm going to take that set up out and make a new mount so I can add more switches.

Help! It's a never ending process!! My truck will never be finished!!!

;-)

cheers

Graham
www.africaoverland.org

 

[asteffes]

Don't forget:

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Thanks for your input Graham,

I was searching this morning for VDO thanks to you! ...(duh!...why didn't I think of these!...I've only been looking at my own VDO on my 1972 Porsche 911 for the past 25+ years!)

And I found a site with great prices on VDO's

Plus you get to check out some very Kewl Swiss Army Vehicles while looking at VDO's!

Water Gauge Close Up:

Link to Website: http://www.swissarmyvehicles.com/vdo-gauges.php?cat=vdogauges&id=411

I think you hit the main ones on the head. I would say:
Amps, Oil Temp, Oil Press, Tach.
For an auto add Trans Oil Temp.

I'm using VDO guages at the moment. They served me well in off-road racing, so I think they're pretty tough.

;-)

cheers

Graham
www.africaoverland.org

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Does anyone from San Diego know of a Shop, or a Dude, that can help fabricate a gauge pod kind of like this and install/hook up the gauges?

I'm interested in a 4 or 5 slot pod.

Some built in rocker light switch's might be cool too!



Thanks

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[madizell]

I have used a variety of gauges over the years, including VDO, but lately I find that the Auto Meters are making some very nice gauges. I have a Sport Comp programmable fuel gauge that works perfectly on my ancient CJ-5, since I could program the gauge to read off of the high and low ohms produced by the actual fuel level sender without having to rely solely on the sender producing exactly 73 to 10 ohms (one of the pre-programmed ranges) it was supposed to do. I use the full sweep 2 1/16th inch type. Very solid reading, no wiggles or shimmies, stepper motor driven.

Just ordered the Auto Meter Sport Comp II programmable water temperature gauge, full sweep, 2 1/16th inch because it has both a programmable overheat light and will turn one and off electrical devices at programmable points as well so that I can use it to trigger an electric fan.

another brand I have tried recently is Nordskog. I got digital fuel and digital oil pressure gauges. The oil gauge works fine. After two of the fuel gauges I gave up. The Nordskog tech was very helpful in trying to diagnose the issues with the fuel gauge, but we never could find a reason why the gauge would constantly fail in use. To reset the gauge you had to turn the key off then back on, and it would work for a few minutes, then default again to "00". It was not cheap and while it was nice, while it worked, to have the fuel read in digits (the tank is 10 gallons so the digital readout was literally the amount of fuel in percent of total and translated directly to gallons by mentally inserting a decimal in the readout), it was not nice to have to fool with it constantly and not be able to determine why the thing didn't want to work. I sent one back, got another, and it had similar problems. That was enough for me.

I also found that the digital gauges didn't have similar brightness, and didn't dim well with the lights turned on as they were supposed to do. The oil gauge dims so little that you have to look closely to see the difference, so it is too bright at night. The fuel gauge dimmed just fine, but that was all it did correctly.

So far, the Auto Meter gauges have worked brilliantly. I like the stepper motor function, which is stable as a rock. The readings stay put when you turn off the key. When you turn the key back on, they go to zero, then after about 1 or 2 seconds, track whatever reading is appropriate. Repeatability is perfect. The original fuel gauge and the digital one would wander up and down due to fuel sloshing. The analog Auto Meter gauge does not. The back lighting is excellent, and they dim appropriately with the lights turned on. I would recommend the Sport Comp or Sport Comp II gauges as excellent for the price and as good as any gauge out there.

These air motor gauges are so stable, I see no need for liquid filled damping.

One more note: I have had both amp and volt meters for years. I find that the volt meter is infinitely more useful than the ammeter, and if you have a winch, the ammeter is going to be useless anyway. I find that the ammeter really only tells me if the alternator is charging. I know this from the volt meter by reading a voltage higher than static volts, and while winching, the volt meter tells me what is going on across the battery terminals, something that the ammeter won't. I would suggest a volt meter over amps, and can't see a real purpose to having both at the same time.

 

[Guinness44]

Took the shortcut, and installed the scangauge II. It also reads codes. Certainly doesnt replace all gauges, depends on the make of the vehicle.
Then you can play with it like a tripcomputer/fuelconsumption stuff.

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Took the shortcut, and installed the scangauge II. It also reads codes. Certainly doesnt replace all gauges, depends on the make of the vehicle.
Then you can play with it like a tripcomputer/fuelconsumption stuff.

Good Idea!

I don't think those will work in old skool trucks.




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[MoGas]

Ever since my drag racing days, I have used AutoMeter exclusively. In my 80 I have a Pro Comp engine temperature gauge in a ghetto fabbed A-pillar pod. I have a Pro Comp oil pressure and engine coolant temperature gauges to install in the wife's 62 when I get a little time.

I work in Metrology and have tested the accuracy of all my other stock indicators (oil pressure and volts) and the oil pressure sender, and they are very accurate. I just don't like how the Zener diode holds the factory temperature indicator in the middle of the range for >30*F to where if you have a problem and it starts to climb, it may be too late.

Dave

 

[ExpoMike]

I have used VDO, Autometer, Stewart Warner, Sun and other gauges. I have had good luck with all of them. Find the features, looks and prices you want to spend.

One thing I would very much caution against, do not put an AMP meter in, at least not inside the vehicle. In the old school days of low amp generators and early altenators, they were fine but with today's high output alts and high demand items, you are risking a fire.

An AMP meter is going to carry the full electrical load between your alt and your fuse block. You need to run a much heavier wire then other gauges and run a risk of it getting warm or if it shorts out, becoming an arc welder. Other guages don't have this problem because they are low amp usage and can use much lighter wire. In these cases, the wire will just burn through and disconnect.

In reality, an AMP meter will tell you the load of the vehicle and if the alt is keeping up with the load. It really doesn't give you any real usable info. A VOLT meter on the other hand will be very useful. Batteries need charging voltage of ~13-14.6 volts. If you are reading under 13 volts while the engine is running, likelihood your alt or battery is going out. Useful. Does it really mater to know if running your radio and A/C is pulling 30 Amps or if the battery is being charged at 14 volts?

Please stay away from an AMP meter. You 4runner is much too nice to see it up in smoke.

BTW, I don't have anyone to recommend for fabbing a gauge mount but I have a good person for doing the wiring part. He's the only person I will let touch any of my vehicles. If interested, I can PM you the info.

L8R,
Mike

 

[Spikepretorius]

For years VDO have been the benchmark but locally they are just too expensive (exchange rate). Auto Meter are very common here, in race cars too, and work fine.

I no longer bother with an amp guage. Modern vehicles have high output altenators and the amp guages are usually limited to 40amps. I use a volt guage instead and it gives me enough info to know what's happening.

I reckon in your vehicle you'd need Volts, Oil pressure, and Vacuum, and if you don't have OEM then a Tach as well. Anything more than that is just Christmas lights really

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

VDO..............?!!!!


I Have VDO.....ALL over the place!

Just in the wrong Vehicle!!!!!


..............hehe!:jump:


VDO...........IS.........Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks!




(posted all in fun and no animals where harmed while typing this post!)




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[Antichrist]

My thoughts on gauges in general.
I don't like digital gauges because you actually have to "read" them and this takes your eyes off the road for too long. Plus your brain has to process what you've read. "220 degress...let's see, it ******** too hihg? not, that's about right."
With analog gauges once you determine where the needle is during normal operation, a glance will tell you if it's in the normal operating range.
If you pick your gauges carefully, the display range, you can get most, if not all, your gauges so your normal reading is at 12 o'clock (or 3, depending on how they are mounted) so that an even shorter glance at them tells you if everything is normal.
While harder to install, I prefer mechanical gauges over electrical
Water temp
Oil Pressure
Oil Temp
Volt meter
Boost pressure if you have a turbo
Vacuum gauge(to monitor air filter flow resistance)
Transmission oil temp for auto box
Fuel gauge is always nice