need 4 gauges, need gauge pod opinions

[TMorris]

I am going to be purchasing 4 autometer gauges (boost, egt, auto trans temp, fuel pressure) either tonight or tomorrow. I am in a little bit of a tight spot as to how i will mount the gauges. I could go a few different ways. I am tall enough so i can easily see over a dash mounted gauge pod, and i wouldnt be worried about a full pillar gauge pod blocking my view somewhat (if any). So as i see it right now, i have a few options i could go with.....



1) triple-gauge pillar mounted gauge pod

*** AND ***

single-gauge dash mounted gauge pod



2) double-gauge pillar mounted gauge pod

*** AND ***

double-gauge dash mounted gauge pod



3) single-gauge pillar mounted gauge pod

*** AND ***

triple-gauge dash mounted gauge pod



Which one of these options do you think would work best? Does anyone have both the pillar AND dash pods? If so, how do you like your setup? I'm looking for some opinions of others who have these types of gauge pods and would like to know which you think would work best in my current application.



Thanks for the help,

Tim

 

[BigDaddy]

Too bad you didn't decide to go SPA You could get all those parameters in a Dual Pillar or Dash Pod



You could also go with the individual gauge mounts (cups) and put them all on the dash In the center, in front of the driver...



I have seen this setup somewhere here in a past post. Looks very nice. Maybe a search will find them.

 

[TMorris]

BigDaddy,



I originally planned to go with SPA gauges, but i come to find out yesterday when i went to order them, that the boost/egt gauge that i wanted has a redesigned face on it, and its foggier than the "previous" model. I contacted performancediesel.com & smokindiesel.com and got similiar answers from them. Ideally i would have liked to go with 2 SPA gauges, i could get 4 gauges and mount them in the space of 2 regular gauges, but i cant do that now.



So the next best option i think is to go with the 4 autometer gauges. I like the look of the single pod mounts, but i think it would be a PITA to clean the dash with 4 of them on the dash. I'd think the dash pod and pillar pod combo would be a little cleaner setup.



Tim

 

[BK]

Tim,

I'm kinda in the same boat, but want a few more temp guages and been holding off saving the $$$.

Geno has Westech guages that have dual temps...

Two of them takes care of my temps, one dual EGT and boost gauge with two probes and a switch takes care of the rest...

6 gauges in a three pillar pod...

Thats what I'm looking at...



Do you have reservations with the Westechs from Genos?

 

[RustyJC]

The SPA's aren't your only option for combo gauges. Two dual combo Westachs would also do the job of four standard gauges. I have EGT, boost, pre-filter fuel pressure and post-filter fuel pressure all in a 2-pod A-pillar mount.



Rusty

 

[TMorris]

BK,



I prefer the looks of the autometer gauges over the westach gauges. Right now im leaning towards a triple dash mtd gauge pod, and a single pillar mtd gauge pod. The westach gaues look ok, but the dual gauges seem like they would be difficult to read.



Tim

 

[BK]

Tim. .



"The westach gaues look ok, but the dual gauges seem like they would be difficult to read. "



Cant disagree with you there about the dual gauges. . It was on my mind too, but I figured I've adapted to soo many pieces of test instruments in the past, I could probably live with it.

So I figured to save space I would make that compromise.



The SPA's are a great idea and digital doesnt bother me , basically, just arent in my price range.



Bob

 

[BK]

Rusty,

we crossed posts... love when that happens...

So you have a dual. . can you easily see and determine out of your side vision whats happening ?



I don't know of anyone locals with the dual westechs. .

hence my question...



My buddy went with all singles because of the "vision" thing...

and he doesnt like digital.



Bob

 

[RustyJC]

Bob,



Yeah, I saw your post when mine returned me to the thread. My first thought was "OOPS", but I went ahead and left mine.



I like analog gauges because my poor old senile brain doesn't have to read and interpret digital numbers - I can just watch needle movement and relative position out of my peripheral vision and pick up pretty quickly if something's out of whack.



It took me a couple of days to get used to the dual readouts, but I don't even think about it now - it just seems natural. If you think about it, these dual combo gauges are commonplace in aircraft applications. If there were any major problems in reading them and assimilating the information, you can bet they wouldn't be accepted in an aircraft cockpit!



Rusty

 

[MCummings]

Well, Since BigSaint has not dropped in yet, I'll add his post of how he worked his gauges out.



If you are looking to tell all the Fords and Chevy's just to back off, just put a fuel pressure gauge like BigSaints.



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23389&highlight=gauge



MerrickNJr



P. S. It is also a bit less money to buy a Fuel Pressure gauge setup that doesn't need any isolators, or "Sending units".

I paid a tad over $200 for my fuel pressure gauge Exterior mount gauges can go for less than $60

 

[zman]

I put the three most looked at gauges in the a-pillar pod (transmission temp, EGT, Boost) and mounted the fuel pressure gauge under the dash using a Geno's donut mount.



Steve

 

[MCummings]

Originally posted by TMorris

I am tall enough so i can easily see over a dash mounted gauge pod, and i wouldnt be worried about a full pillar gauge pod blocking my view somewhat (if any).

Here is about how the Full Pillar 3-Gauge pod looks when driving down a lonely stretch of highway.

#ad




My truck was stock at the time of the picture, but I am planning on fixing that.



MerrickNJr

 

[GFoley]

TMorris,

You didn't list what year truck you have. I plan on mounting three in the dash pod and one in the useless little open space in the dash. Geno's will include the black lexan plate at no additional cost.

 

[Bigsaint]

MCummings, thanks for covering my 6 . You are correct on the price, very inexpensive compared to electric gauges or adding an isolator ($90. 00 from Summit). The gauge is an Autometer Ultra-lite 2 5/8" which cost $40. 00 and I used 3' of braided -4AN line ($30. 00 with the fittings). I bought a sheet of heavy gauge steel from the local hardware store for $10. 00 and built the bracket myself. I did finally swap out that white wire tie for a black one, was driving me up a wall



Scott W.

 

[OILBRNR]

The combo Westach is real easy to read, and it is an advantage I think now, that both sets of data are in one spot. A quick look tells your brain what you need to know, so you can keep your eyes on the road where they should be.



I ordered the Westach fuel pressure unit directly from them, as it has the HO LED that is user set for low pressure warning. It will really get your attention without even looking directly at it.

 

[TMorris]

Just an update.



I ordered 4 autometer gauges last night from smokindiesel.com, and a triple dash pod & single a-pillar pod.



I ordered these gauges...



boost--4305

egt--4344

fuel pressure--4313

trans temp--4357



What's also nice about ordering the gauge pods from here is that they will paint the gauge pods to match the interior of your truck, so you dont need to mess with finding the factory matched paint. And they do that for free too! Can't beat that.



Oh, i also got a mag-hytec dd trans pan too. Doug at smokindiesel.com said that i could have installed the temp gauge in the factory pan (though he didnt know if it would be thick enough to withstand tack-welding the fitting onto there), or i could have got a new line from dodge with a sending line in it for an additional $100. I was planning on getting a mag-hytec pan later on down the road, so i decided to get it now instead of paying the extra $$ for the new line from Dodge, and then later not using it when i move the temp gauge to the pan in the mag-hytec.



Thanks,

Tim

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

An electric fuel pressure gauge with senders doesn't have to be expensive. www.xks.com sells a 0-16 psi Stewart Warner gauge for ~$39 and the senders are ~$31.

 

[OILBRNR]

Originally posted by TMorris

I was planning on getting a mag-hytec pan later on down the road, so i decided to get it now instead of paying the extra $$ for the new line from Dodge, and then later not using it when i move the temp gauge to the pan in the mag-hytec.



Thanks,

Tim

Tim,



The Dodge line is the prefered sender location, as this is the temp of the fluid coming out of the TC. This topic has been covered quite a bit in the past. I used to have mine in that pan, and with the DTT upgrades, the line was installed. Big difference in measurement, esp. in stop and go traffic.

 

[TMorris]

So i wouldnt be getting a good reading by placing the temperature gauge in the mag-hytec pan? So the better way would be to get the reading from the line? How much of a difference are we talking about here comparing the temp gauge mtd in the pan and in the line?



Tim

 

[zman]

My understanding is that the fluid in the pan has already been cooled and the fluid in the line you want to tap into is on the way to be cooled. Bill K. told me that you want to know the maximum temperature that the fluid reaches and that it should never exceed 280* when measured before it gets to the cooler.



Steve