Briar Hopper's test gauge

[rspinks]

Got mine last night. Briar Hopper's one helluva decent guy, send the gauge clear across the country on short order at a super price because he was concerned about my truck. Talk about customer service!



Anyhow the results: 11-12# at idle, 9-10# cruising, 5# at WOT. The truck has 10,300km on it. I was expecting worse results so I'm not unhappy with the pressures, though I will be getting the lift pump replaced as soon as practical to get the WOT up to 10# hopefully.



I really recommend getting one of these test gauges. It's well made, quick to set up and comes with instructions. It's bought me some time and peace of mind until I can get permanent gauges installed.

 

[Mark_Kendrick]

Briar is a great guy. I got the plumbing for my gauge from him.



Are those pre or post filter? They seem sorta low. should be 13-15 at idle , around 12 at cruise and never below 8 at WOT for a near stock truck.



Also is the engine warm when you checked? I've seen low FP at startup lately here on the board. Seems to be the grid heaters drawing the voltage down to 12 instead of 14+ volts.



The test gauge is great but I'd put on a full time FP gauge. They go bad w/o warning, ryme or reason.



I started my truck one evening w/good pressure and 11 miles later I was teetering on 2-5psi at cruise.



FWIW,

Mark

 

[Briar Hopper]

Thanks for the kind words. I'd like to take the opportunity to give a heads-up to anyone that orders one of my gauges..... there have been reports from 5 of my customers, 3 in Colorado, that the pump end of the hose did not properly engage the valve core inside the Schraeder fitting. If this happens to you, the simplest cure is to get a tire-type valve core remover, and back out the valve core 1/2 to 3/4 a turn. Don't worry if a little fuel leaks.

The other alternative is to buy a new Schraeder fitting from Cummins.

The hoses can't be altered, unfortunately, and no other hose options are available to me. 5 out of over 200 sold is a small percentage of the population, though. But if you're one of those 5, it doesn't help to hear that.

Anyone with questions or concerns may email me directly or post it on here, we'll get you taken care of.

My website is up and running, and contact info is on there.

Kendrick is correct in stating that a full-time gauge is the best option. The test gauge I sell is only intended as a temporary measure, as many of us delay for one reason or another in getting full-time gauges installed... After you get a full-time gauge, the test gauge then becomes useful as a backup/verification to the full-time gauge, by hooking it up to the pre-filter Schraeder fitting. And for checking friends, neighbors, and newcomers fuel pressure for them.

 

[rspinks]

That was post-filter readings and I agree that the numbers are a little low. I did some WOT runs in 5th from about 1800rpm and it actually pulls the FP below 5# for a few seconds and then stabilizes. I'll do the pre filter checks tonight and see if the fuel filter is affecting it.



Permanent gauge will be installed this summer, assuming it stops snowing sometime this year. Gotta love living in Alberta.