paz46
Member
Registered: 16th Apr 07
Location: doncaster, South Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Why do I need gauges and what do they do ?
turbo boost oil pressure gauge vacuum rev counter nobuzz t-piece temperature pipe egt pod a-pillar digital air fuel sandwich plate single din bracket sender sensor dials voltage tachometer head-up display timer shift light centigrade fahrenheit psi bar
Gauges look cool and impressive and let's face it there's not much else to look at in your cockpit. Those that move with your revs such as vacuum, oil pressure, turbo etc look even better and the range of styles and lighting now available far outway any factory installed gauges in your ride. The ultimate gauges are those that have a starting and ending ceremony when you switch the ignition on and off - check out our Smoky Blacker, Silver Fighter and Saga ranges.
All that aside, gauges also play an important part in monitoring and tuning the performance of your engine. Technical specs for the various components of your engine are freely available in owners handbooks, dealers, internet etc which you can use to compare what the gauges are telling you. Why put up with poor performance or wait for a breakdown when additional gauges will highlight potential problems in advance ?
Water Temperature
Most cars come with a water gauge showing cold, hot and not much in between ! In order for an engine to run efficiently it must be kept at the right temperature. A water gauge allows you to see exactly the temperature the thermostat is opening at or the cooling fan is coming on. If the engine takes a long time to warm up then it is running rich which wastes fuel and fouls up your spark plugs - use the gauge to check the thermostat opening temperature. If the engine is running hot and therefore inefficiently you can see if the thermostat is sticking and therefore needs replacing.
Oil Temperature
Oil is a vital component and the best thing you can do for your engine is to change the oil regularly. Not only does it provide all the lubrication for the moving parts but it also has essential cooling properties. If your oil is old or contaminated then its cooling properties are reduced and hence could contribute to damage in the engine. Use an Oil temp gauge to monitor the temperature at different driving conditions and keep it running at peak efficiency.
Oil/Fuel Pressure
In order for the oil to do its job it must be pumped around the engine at the correct pressure which should increase as the engine revs increase. An Oil pressure gauge moves in line with your revs and will highlight low pressure due to leaks or a defective oil pump. The most common reason for engine seizure is lack of good condition oil being pumped around the engine efficiently. This gauge can also be used to monitor fuel pressure by connecting it into your fuel line using the T-piece. If your fuel pressure is low compared to the technical spec for your car then the gauge will show this indicating a blockage in the fuel lines/fuel filter or possibly a fuel pump on its way out.
Voltage
Voltage gauge quite simply shows the condition of your battery and charging circuit. Spot a battery on its last legs or an alternator not providing enough juice under heavy electrical use.
Vacuum
A vacuum gauge is one of the most useful gauges you can install and shows the difference between outside atmospheric pressure and the amount of vacuum present in the intake manifold. The pistons in the engine serve as suction pumps and the amount of vacuum they create is affected by the related actions of:
· Piston rings
· Valves
· Ignition system
· Fuel control system
· Other parts affecting the combustion process (emission devices, etc.).
Each has a characteristic effect on vacuum and you judge their performance by watching variations from normal on the gauge. It is important to judge engine performance by the general location and action of the needle on a vacuum gauge, rather than just by a vacuum reading which moves in line with your engine revs.
Turbo & Turbo timers
Turbo boost pressure is a vital measurement on turbocharged engines highlighting poor performance such as knock, coughing etc. Factory installed gauges usually consist of a coloured scale which simply tells you some boost exists and not much more ! Our gauges show actual boost pressure in either bar or psi enabling you to check it is within the limits for your car.
Turbochargers get very hot and spin at very high rpm's in order to move lots of air which causes friction and therefore heat in the turbo. If you run a turbo hard, and shut the car off, the oil which is normally circulating through the turbo to lubricate and cool it, stops flowing, which will cause the oil to bake, harden, and generally make a mess inside your turbo.
Ideally, after running a turbocharged car hard for a while, you should ALLOW it to cool down for a couple of minutes before shutting it off, however, some people don't have the time for this. A turbo timer is a device which keeps the car running for a set amount of time after the key has been removed from the ignition, allowing the turbocharger to cool down to an acceptable temperature before shutting the engine off thus saving you a fortune on replacing the turbo.
Air/Fuel
An air/fuel gauge is a valuable tuning aid as it takes the output from an oxygen sensor in the cars exhaust and displays the ratio of air to fuel present in the original mix. This enables you to tweak the mix at different driving conditions such that it runs a little rich when started, leaner when cruising and richer again under hard acceleration optimizing the economy and power of your engine.
Exhaust Temperature
An exhaust gas temperature (EGT) gauge is a great compliment to an air/fuel ratio gauge. The EGT suggests whether the mix is rich or lean particularly at high revs where values between 850 - 900° C are considered normal and temperatures below this are considered rich. Temperatures above 950 are considered dangerously lean and can result in excessive engine knock and potentially burnt or melted valves,rings,pistons or spark plugs.
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