Need Guages!

[CSchmidt]

I have an '06 2500 and put a smarty programer on it and I would like to put a set of column guages in... any recomendations?

 

[donnier]

Check out Dodge Cummins and Ford Power Stroke Diesel Truck Accessories - Geno's Garage.

Personally, I went with Isspro gauges.

I felt they matched the orginal dash gauges.

 

[RDyson]

I also have the Isspro gauges, boost, pyro, fuel.



Randy

 

[PBrauer]

I have the Phantom II's, which I like but kind of wish I'd gone with the DiPricols or the ISSPRO's. I'll never buy another pyro without dedicated ring terminals to the gauge. Having some length options for the TC wire is another thing to look for as well. I have mine on the dash and it's going to be a PIA if/when I move them to the windshield... I bought both pods and had to do a lot of extra work just to reach the dash pod w/short Autometer wire. Getting the 10 pin plug through the firewall was a totally unecessary pain in the butt... especially since the first pyro was bad and the cable was barely long enough. It really sucked that I'd taken so much time/care the first time only to have to undo most of the work and start over. I highly recommend testing the pyro with a torch before installing. Nothing fancy, just make sure it works.



Took me about two minutes to loose patience with tech support but ended up getting good support from someone a little higher up. He sent a new TC out immediately and the second one works great. I bought the gauges at Summit as I was passing through... wish I'd bought from Geno's or Diesel Manor (or another forum friendly vendor). They seem to get nothing but praise and have several accessories "in stock" to ease the install... boost bolts, tapped banjo's, and the "pre-made" trans cooler line w/manifold are all worth getting and hard to find at mainstream retailers. If you have a problem, you'll probably get the least hassle from them. Their prices are as good or better than any store/retailer, especially when getting a typical "package" for a pickup.



There's a good chance that I actually damaged the TC, BTW. I did try to tell them that on the phone. Be carefull/aware that the braided SS around the TC wires needs to be kept clear of the pos battery terminal while your working on the install. It didn't dawn on me until I looked down (while fighting with the stuff I mentioned above) and saw it touching. I have an '06 also... 2-3 more feet of TC wire would have saved me so much work...



The trans cooler line from Diesel Manor is something I'd buy if I started over. Geno's gets mentioned here a lot, maybe the most, and I don't remember ever seeing a significant complaint. I'd go with either of them, based on their reputations here anyway.



35psi is OK but not quite enough for boost, BTW. I'd get a 40+ gauge. After adding an intake and bumping up to "performance" w/my Flashpaq, I'm almost pegging my 35 on the back of zero... probably approaching 45psi... not bad for well over 200K. Smarty plus future mods might justify going straight to a 60psi for you. That will limit your choices a little in itself. If you're getting a trans gauge now and want a FP gauge to match in the future, then look at what's available... another self limiting thing, especially for electronic/senders... picking a FP gauge is/will be the hardest decision. It should be the easiest but has limited choices. The market needs to offer more 20-30 psi senders... a lot of people don't like mechanical w/isolator and the isolator makes the final price as high as an electronic, and harder to install. I'm seriously considering special ordering a dual faced gauge from Westach so I can mount pre and post filter senders. Geno's carries Westach but only a few and they only offer traditional lighting. They (Westach) don't make any "fast" promises on special orders (time) either. Old and solid company but still small. They make a lot of gauges for aircraft and assemble most "by hand". There are also some shops out there the think the older ISSPRO's are the most accurate, but you loose the newer lighting. The newer "EV" gauges also require an (extra) small box, mounted away from the gauge itself, which is probably a good thing by design but might be a headache to install.



Sorry to go long (again) but trust me... I can go longer. The bottom line is that all of the gauges avail. from "pickup" friendly vendors are probably about the same quality. It's the little things like lighting, choice of ranges, and install accessories that deserve the most thought... along with cable/wire length, of course. The "pre built" combination harnesses with a built in pot/dimmer adjust. from DiProcal/Optix look like a very good idea too. I did have to dim my gauges with a resistor, even on the dimmer line, to get them down to a comfortable level at night. Keep that in mind before you finish the install so you don't have to dig that wire back out later just to splice in a resistor. Good idea to leave enough length to work with it in the front seat too.



Last but not least, and since we have the same trucks, you'll probably love the brightness of "any" gauges at first... then about a week later will get sick of the distraction. Buy a few resistors and have a "dimming" plan. The dimmer line on your truck only gets down to about 3V. I used a 500 ohm resistor to get them "about" the same brightness as the cluster... They weren't just a little too bright... they were way, way too bright for me. Amost dangerous. Once again, if I started over I'd use a dedicated, panel mounted pot and skip the dimmer line. To each his own though...

 

[nickleinonen]

I'll never buy another pyro without dedicated ring terminals to the gauge.

when did that change? my ultralite pyrometer has 2 ring terminals on the back for the pyrometer leads [along with 2 leads for powering the gauge and 2 for lamp]

 

[BHolm]

I have run the Westach dual gauge on my last two trucks. If you have a manual trans and no need for a third gauge this works well because you can get the a-pillar mount that retains the factory grab handle. The green lighting matches well and the gauge works great. I had the 35 psi version on my Mega and now have the 50 psi version on my QC.

 

[JJPage]

My Dipricols are a good match to stock, I found that the lighting at night was unequal between the gauges. When I replaced my 30# boost w/60# boost, the new gauge had an individual adjustable pot/rheostat, for adjusting brightness.



The originals I purchased from Geno's did not have that feature.

 

[jdbecker2]

I was in the exact situation you are in. I went with the Isspro guages from Geno's and their dual pillar mount. The turbo boost is one of the easiest installs you will ever do, the pyro is a little more involved (drilling and tapping the manifold) but is also rather simple. I probablly should have gone with a fuel pressure guage, but I don't run the smarty on more than level 3. FYI if you do go with the dual pillar mount from Geno's, it says its grey, but its actually the same color as the stock pillars, maybe they were just refering to the grey interior?? Sorry for the long post