Anyone looking for SPA rail pressure gauge?

[JStieger]

I hope this follows the posting guidelines - if not mods please delete.



Unfortunately, I as well as other/new members missed out on Matt400's group buy that he set up after lots of research and development on his own time for the "limited-run-special-made-for-TDR" SPA rail pressure gauge. Before going further, I strongly suggest that those interested do a search under Matt400 and +rail +pressure +gauge in the search field for the intricate details of this gauge.



So through a search I found out his contact there and contacted him to see if any of these gauges were somehow still available. Well it turns out that SPA still has "quite a few" available still as packaged for the original kit for the group buy! I will not post prices, but they are very good IMO (probably slightly higher than the original group buy IIRC) considering the gauge quality.



Here's the contact (for awesome service BTW!):



DG216 dual gauge (fuel pressure/rail pressure faceplate on a fuel pressure/boost gauge) - make sure you mention "rail pressure gauge developed by Matt on TDR"

Matthew R. Reed

-- email address removed --

Vice President / CEO

SPA Technique

1209 Indy Way

Indianapolis, IN 46214

Phone: 317-271-7941

Fax: 317-271-7951

www.spatechnique.com

 

[Matt400]

Thanks for the pat on the back!



Just to clarify. . the part number to order is:

DG217W/215L and is a white faced gauge for 3rd gens. One channel is for rail pressure and the other is oil pressure. It comes with a pressure transducer for the oil pressure while the rail pressure circuit connects to the OEM transducer on the rail.

 

[JStieger]

Thanks for the pat on the back!



Just to clarify. . the part number to order is:

DG217W/215L and is a white faced gauge for 3rd gens. One channel is for rail pressure and the other is oil pressure. It comes with a pressure transducer for the oil pressure while the rail pressure circuit connects to the OEM transducer on the rail.

Whoops... my bad! I read through a gazillion pages of your posts until midnight last night and then having to get up at 3:00 am for work puts my mental state elsewhere.



Since I already have a mechanical oil pressure gauge directly into the cab I wonder if I can use the transducer for turbo drive pressure??



One other thing I got from your posts was a new Fluke 189 multimeter to replace my POS Wal-mart special! :-laf

 

[Matt400]

I wonder if I can use the transducer for turbo drive pressure??

Sure can, all the SPA pressure transducers are the same from what I understand. You would want to use a pipe between the transducer and exhaust of course so the transducer is not subjected to too much heat.



That channel has a title that reads "OIL" but you will know its drive pressure.

 

[SRadke]

I ordered a generic pressure/pressure gauge that should be in this week to monitor boost/drive with. I may go with primary/secondary turbo boost though and put the drive on my analog gauge. The jury is still out.



-Scott

 

[DLeno]

Sure can, all the SPA pressure transducers are the same from what I understand. You would want to use a pipe between the transducer and exhaust of course so the transducer is not subjected to too much heat.



That channel has a title that reads "OIL" but you will know its drive pressure.

TDR issues 48 and 49! I have mine set up like this:



exhaust manifold --> a couple feet of 1/8" copper refridgeration tubing, coiled --> 1/8" high temp nylong tubing --> SPA pressure sender.

 

[JCleary]

Yikes! I just got off the phone w/ SPA. Gauge is still available, but for $328. 59!



Unless, that is, you can find a distributor to order one for you at a discount.

 

[DLeno]

I'm finally making progress on an analog rail pressure gauge. samples are on their way to me now. Still not sure on the price, but working with Genos Garage on that. I'm expecting on the order of half the above price though. keep your fingers crossed...

 

[JCleary]

I'm finally making progress on an analog rail pressure gauge. samples are on their way to me now. Still not sure on the price, but working with Genos Garage on that. I'm expecting on the order of half the above price though. keep your fingers crossed...

Awesome! Hopefully it looks just like an Isspro EV

 

[JStieger]

Finally installed mine! I used a ISSPRO bullet mount and did a "temporary" install next to my SRT pillar until I can think of a better place. I have a Dash Mat so I used small pieces of sticky-back velcro to secure the gauge to the mat and then to the pillar. So far I have 6 gauges-



Westach boost/egt

ISSPRO EV fuel pressure

ISSPRO EV oil pressure

SPA rail pressure / soon to be turbo drive pressure.



Anyhow, I get ~5,300 psi rail pressure at idle and about 15,000 psi rail pressure with the Juice on 5 WOT. So with my 3-flow injectors + Juice I just about maxed the CP3 before running out of power (13,000 psi or so according to other people's experiences on dynos). The max rail pressure I saw with the Juice was 24,000-25,000 psi at around to slightly above 2,000 rpm. (The 03-04 juice does fuel pressure/timing/duration with fuel pressure manipulation all in ~2,000 rpm).



The only thing I wish I did was install this earlier in my truck ownership as it would have helped me a lot in troubleshooting my earlier fuel system issues. Here's a pic:

 

[Matt400]

Cool, but dang those must be some serious injectors. If I read you correctly, the injectors cause a 10,000 psi drop over the stockers??



In your case a TST/Ramifier stack might be nice. I tried a Ramifier and its pressure capability is there for your injectors while the TST will do all the duration you want.

Nice thing about having a rail gauge is you can now work with pressure and duration to feed those big injectors proper. Heck maybe just the Ramifier by its self.

 

[JStieger]

Cool, but dang those must be some serious injectors. If I read you correctly, the injectors cause a 10,000 psi drop over the stockers??

I still need to play around with this gauge as it took me about an hour to figure out the menus so tomorrow I'll recheck my parameters! Do you remember when you had your '03 with stock injectors what the various boxes put out?



-stock

-VA

-Ramifier

-etc.



What does a stock '03 do for idle rail pressure? I'm getting 5,300 psi but IIRC it should be about 4,700 psi?? I turned the Juice off and still got the same idle rail pressure... but I did get my ECM reflashed about a month ago when I had my fuel system problems so maybe I got a revised program similar to the newer trucks??

Nice thing about having a rail gauge is you can now work with pressure and duration to feed those big injectors proper. Heck maybe just the Ramifier by its self.

This is probably why DD sells their power packages with injectors + pressure box only until the Juice came out... as well as why Don M Flux injectors are only "40 HP" for the 3rd gens!



I do have a TST PMCR with "03 twins program" sitting in a box here so that will be my next test. It will definitely have more adjustability for tuning purposes compared to the 5 programmed levels on the Juice.

 

[JStieger]

Matt-



I also should have added if I only had the Juice on Level 1 or 2 the rail pressure would only drop to ~20,000 psi due to less duration on the lower levels.



I guess I could probably pick a Ramifier up cheap from those fellows running them on a stock injectored truck... due to fear of cratering their stock injectors from too much pressure! However, should I still be worried of that momentary blast of high rail pressure over time?

 

[Matt400]

Do you remember when you had your '03 with stock injectors what the various boxes put out?

I tried 3, the VA, Ramifier and Race X-Zillarader.

The VA I can't say cuz I pulled it off and put the Ramifier and rail gauge on at the same time. My 03 was a CA SO with the small injectors and I could peg the gauge at 26,700 so who knows how much more it may have been doing.



To keep the X-Zillaraider in a comfort zone where I felt it wouldn't possibly lift the bypass valve I ran on setting 2 and would get 26K if I remember correctly, I should have recorded this stuff.



The VA went back in my 03 when I sold it and now my son has that one so I will ask him how high he sees but I have to say I don't think that box id for you at all. It dials back the pressure at higher RPM's for EGT safety right where you are loosing needed pressure.

What does a stock '03 do for idle rail pressure?

Mine was 5000 average and would see 4900-5300. My 05 idles at 7000 stock, I used a scanner to read that.

should I still be worried of that momentary blast of high rail pressure over time?

I don't think so. What I would do is try a Ramifier and just keep turning it up till you can see 23000 which is where it should be.

If you can't achieve that I doubt you will have any high pressure injector worries since stock trucks run at that level.