0-35 psi Fuel Pressure Auto Meter Gauge

[cap-n-cray]

I have made contact with a representative from Auto Meter. He is willing to make 0-35 psi Fuel pressure Gauges in the Z-series. The gauge would be a re-silkscreened #2616 Boost Gauge. The gauge would be labeled 0-35 Fuel Pressure. He is checking in to whether or not the gauge would also have "must be mounted outside vehicle" in fine print. This would be for legal reasons. I may ask him if the gauge could say "Diesel Fuel Only" instead. Whether you mount the gauge inside or outside, with or without an isolator would be up to you.



The initial orders would bear the cost of the special silkscreening. If we can put together an order of twelve gauges the cost would be approximately $66. 00 plus shipping. After the initial order the gauge would cost the same as the Boost gauge or approximately $53. 00. But without the initial order there will be no special gauge. If more gauges were ordered the cost would go down.



If and as soon as I get a good response I would be able to get a time frame. I may need the money up front to make this work.



Any takers????

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Ill definatley take one. Possibly 2, let me talk to a friend

 

[Briar Hopper]

I'm interested, but prefer an electric gauge, the plumbing for running an isolator-type mechanical gauge will be a BIG headache, if not impossible, to install in the gauge housings that are now available to us. I know, I've tried. I had to send it back, and get an electric gauge. AutoMeter needs to simply make a sending unit that will hold up, this would greatly simplify things for all of us. Many of us have had trouble with the sending units, in case you're not aware of it...

You seem to want to go with a gauge mounted outside that cab, that is fine, if that's what you prefer, but (I could be wrong here) IMHO, the majority of us need a workable solution for IN-CAB gauges...

I'd like to see an electric 0-35 psi, in UltraLite ProComp(the silver ones, which will match what many of us now have) with a sending unit that will last more than a few weeks !

 

[SLang]

According to the guy I talked to the gauges are not rated for exposure to diesel fuel. It will eat the diaphram inside. That means an isolator must be used. The isolator can be mounted anywhere. I planned on mounting it on the fender out of the way. That way if I spring a leak I get my engine bay not the interior.



cap-n-cray Get these minor issues out of the way and nailed down to what autometer wants to do and I'm in for one. Also mention to him bringing this in as a stock/production item. I mention that and the guy kind of bit, but then shuned away. If you can convince them there is a market then they may take the screen fee and put it into development.



Anyway I'm in for 1. Let me know when/where/how much money you need. I'll pay in advance.

 

[The patriot]

I'm with Briar hopper on this one. I'd much prefer an electric gauge for the fuel press.

If only they'd make a sender that's rated for these.

Also, you'd only have to purchase one gauge and two senders this way.

Just my . 02

Eric

 

[EMDDIESEL]

SLang, whoever gave you that information that diesel fuel will eat up the diaphram is completley wrong. I have discussed that exact topic more then once with Autometer and Diesel fuel will not hurt ANY of there gauges, in fact, diesel fuel is alot less agressive then Gasoline. You can use a Boost gauge as a Diesel Fuel pressure gauge too, even though it is an air pressure gauge it uses the same internal componenents and is unaffected by Gasoline, Oil or Diesel fuel.

The main reason they make Isolators is for Gasoline vehicles where you dont want an extremely flammable liquid spraying into the passenger compartment. Diesel fuel spraying in the cab would not explode and probably would not even ignite even if you were smoking.

As long as you plumb the gauges with something like Braided Stainless line (Which has a burst Strength of 1,000psi) the chances of having a leak are next to "0". Catastrophic gauge failure is rare in high quality gauges, especially with only 20psi at the most. Your most likley leak source is the threads where the hose attatches to the gauge. And with 20psi or less of fuel, the most you would have would be a VERY slow drip. I had an oil Pressure gauge with a leak at the threads (Not tight enough) and at 84psi it was only a few drops a minute. Nothing to freak out about. Once the gauge is installed, put a piece of newspaper under it and start the truck. If you need to tighten the hose more, you will know within a few minutes.

Autometer will tell you not to mount any fuel pressure gauge in the cab without an isolator mainly for legal reasons. If they said "You dont need an isolator" and then your gauge does burst and your truck burns up, they dont want to be liable.

I am putting a 0-30psi fuel pressure gauge (actually, a boost gauge for the time being) in my truck next week. I am going to use Braided stainless line, from the engine to the gauge, no isolator. Its alot easier that way since i dont have to find a place to mount the isolator and in case you did not know, the isolator is supposed to be at the SAME LEVEL as the gauge (Or as close as possible) for proper accuracy. That is not so easy in the Ram. If you want the gauge under the dash, the fender is too high for the isolator. You should not fear a low pressure non volitale liquid.

Electric gauges are nice too, but they are expensive and vibration as you have noticed is tough on senders. The best way to beat that is to mount the senders on the end of a hose away from the engine. The hose will absorb alot of the vibrations. I dont rember who, but someone did just that and had great pics somewhere on here.

 

[Briar Hopper]

EMD is right, the isolator has to be on a level with the gauge. The instructions that came with the mechanical gauge I ordered, and sent back, specifically said so.

Another hassle I had while trying to install it in the 3-gauge pillar pod, the way the stainless braided hose supllied with the gauge is set up, it's straight out the back of the gauge. A 90 degree fitting would need to be installed, but even then, it still might not fit.

The electric AutoMeter fuel pressure gauge I'm using now has lasted a few weeks so far, it's my second one. The first one only lasted a month. I do have the sending unit mounted remotely from the injection pump, using Parker fittings & hose.

The pictures that EMD mentioned seeing of sending units mounted remotely, are probably the pics of Steve St. Laurent's installation of his Stewart-Warner sending units & gauges. His gauges and sending units have lasted over a year, I believe, still going strong.

 

[swamp rat]

After enduring all the trials and tribulations of a clogged filter, prescreen, and bad overflow valve as of late, I definitely want, desire, and need a fuel pressure gauge of some sort as well as the usual EGT & Boost preferably in the Z-series Autometer. (Reminds me of the instrument cluster on my CBX I-6 Cyl. Honda m/c)



Ideally I would like a pair mounted pre and post filter. Since I recently installed the Prime Loc with the dual ported filter head, would the electrical pressure gauge sender be as susceptible to vibration mounted in the P-Loc?



Is there preferred location to install the senders rather than using the two ports on the P-Loc filter head?



How feasible is it to install two senders, one gauge, and a switch to manually toggle between sending units to check post- and pre-filter pressure?

 

[EMDDIESEL]

The ports on the prime Loc are fine to use as your pressure source. And i do recall reading posts from several members who installed senders both post and pre fuel filter and connected to one gauge. You just need to use a regular toggle switch on the wire from the sender to select you pressure source.

 

[swamp rat]

Thanks EMD for confirming my theory on installing the double senders w/single gauge.



Do you think the vibration factor from being mounted on the P-Loc would cause an early failure for the electric senders or should they be mounted a bit more remotely by use of tubing or hoses as mentioned above?

 

[EMDDIESEL]

I think anything is better then having the sender right on the engine, but honestly, i have never felt how much the Prime Loc vibrates. Anybody else in here answer that question?

 

[Briar Hopper]

Steve St. Laurent mounted his sending units remotely, even though he had a PrimeLoc. He later removed the PrimeLoc, but kept the units mounted remotely... He has a HUGE thread on that install in the archives, look for it... It's definitely best to have them mounted away from the engine or filters. The PrimeLoc bracket has several attachments direct to the engine, and so can transfer vibration. Pop the hood, do a little creative thinking, you'll see several decent, vibration-free locations to mount'em up at...

 

[illflem]

swamp rat, remember that 12 valves have entirely different characteristics and pressures than a 24. I went though two senders, isolated from the engine with hose and snubbed, before I gave up and went with a mechanical gauge, non-isolated. Been working fine for over a year. The problem is that the 12 valve lift pumps pulsate too much and eat senders. I also feel that a post filter gauge is all you need, just remember the pressure you have with a fresh filter, if the pressure drops you know things are clogging. A furl pressure gauge on a 12 valve will also require a gauge snubber or needle valve to restrict the flow otherwise the gauge will pulsate so badly that it is unreadable. 12 valves also require at least a 35 psi gauge, 40 is better, that's what I use, the needle sits mainly in the center of the range, which is perfect.



Wow!!! just as I clicked post reply a lighting bolt hit a power pole and blew up a tranformer about 300 yards out from my window. Boy was that loud, even my goldfish was cowering. Power was only out a second and the post went though. Too cool!!!

 

[swamp rat]

Ahhh!! More good food for thought. I thank you all for the information.



illflem, if you don't already have one, I recommend putting that computer (and any other AV gear youmight have) on a TrippLite before you get the shock of your life. I know where you can get a DBS+6 for SAT/CATV/OTA for $50



Last Fall, I had a lightning strike about 95 feet from my house and satellite dish. I felt the EMP rolling through as it gaussed up my TV and computer monitor. Took over three hours to degauss the TV. Lost three TrippLite surge supprssors and no other electronic goodies. I can't explain why, but I didn't even lose the LNB on the dish.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I was out of town camping this weekend and that's why I haven't responded to these threads. Here is the thread on my fuel pressure gauge install - https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6113 . Regarding the prime-loc test ports I would highly recommend that you not use them and use the stock test ports (if available) as I saw drastically different readings from the after filter ports on the prime loc versus stock (much lower at the filter head after the prime loc versus the after the filter port at the prime loc head). My SW gauge and senders are still working great after approximately a year in the truck. It is a 0-16 psi gauge but I have come up with a way to make it work up to 20 psi - the details are towards the end of that thread (still no good for you 12v guys - sorry). I also am very wary of running a fuel line into the cab and that's why I made a simple modification to my electric gauge to give me reliable data with the pusher pump setup (I see 19 psi with the engine running and drops to 18 psi at WOT).

 

[SLang]

Good info EMD. I just took Autometers word and didn't even research. I guess that's what happens when your busy. Ya do a half a** job.

 

[cap-n-cray]

Two Readings

EMDDIESEL



If you wanted to have two readings with one mechanical pressure guage, (ie, fuel or boost), could a fuel tank switch work? The kind of solenoid selector switch used between two fuel tanks. Could it work for both boost and fuel pressure?

 

[blackbeast]

I may have lead some people astray with the Autometer gauges. I was poriginally told be an Autometer rep that the gauges were not approved for use with diesel, and could not be used. He told me that they would not warrant any gauge that had signs of diesel in it. On another call last week. I talked to a gentleman from Autometer that said all of the gauges were safe for use with diesel, and that it was the electrical sending unit that was having problems. My appology's.



As far as the isolator unit. I put one together, and saw less than 1/4 of a pound difference at pillar heigth versus level with the sending unit at full pressure. I know that this is not great, but it's not terrible either. I don't know what effect elevation may have though.



As far as the mechanical gauges, it is doable to get a -4 line into the pillar. It's not easy, but can be done.



I agree that we need to come up with a solution that will use an elctrical sending unit that is durable. The question for us is how would another companies sending unit work with the Autometer gauges, and how accurate would it be?



Andy and I want to get you guys a gauge that will work for all, and is cost effective. Anything we can do to help... Let us know.



Sorry if some were mislead by my statements, as they were the truth to me at the time.



Doug Conrad

 

[EMDDIESEL]

"Cap-in-cray" wrote:

If you wanted to have two readings with one mechanical pressure guage, (ie, fuel or boost), could a fuel tank switch work? The kind of solenoid selector switch used between two fuel tanks. Could it work for both boost and fuel pressure?



While anything is possible, this would not be a great idea for several reasons. most importantly if fuel were ever to go into the engine through the boost line that would be BAD and you would most likley have a run away engine. It alot more trouble then its worth, also, you would not be able to compare boost PSI with fuel PSI at the same time. Sounds like a cool idea, but would not be worth it.



As for the Isolator having to be at the same height as the Gauge, that is how it supposed to be, but it does'nt HAVE to be, its just an issue of accuracy. As Diesel Doug said, its a very small difference, so small that if you really want an isolator but it would be impossible to have it and the Gauge at the same height, you can still do it and not really sacrifice anything.

Thats the thing with Autometer, they make gauges for all the major racing stuff so they are always concerned with being sure your gauges are super accurate. Whenever you ask a question about something even though its for your Ram and not a $100,000 engine in a race worth a million dollars they always tell you the answer as if it was. Just like Mecanical Fuel pressure gauges are more accurate then electric gauges, but the differenece in accuracy is no problem for us.

 

[cap-n-cray]

EDMDIESEL



I did not make myself as clear as I could have. I meant you could use one manual fuel pressure gauge to read two different fuel pressures. Post and pre fuel filter with a fuel tank switch. It would also work for boost if you needed two separate readings. Pre and post something?



I would not mix fuel and boost. That could be dangerous and exciting.