Not having gauges driving me crazy...

[Roostre]

I've been reading the pros and cons of deleting, including the drama with the feds shutting H&S down. This all has me leaning towards leaving the poor motor on my '12 strangled. Every diesel I have owned had a boost gauge and an EGT minimum and it is driving me nuts to not have this information available. (Why doesn't RAM just include it in the displays????)



In light of this new era of legal bullying by the Guv and in the spirit of not turning my warranty into a (more) worthless lawyer-derived piece of drivel... . CAN A GUY DRILL AN 1/8" NPT HOLE AND (heaven forbid) Monitor some vitals??? WITHOUT it being a warranty killer?



I have a habit of watching the EGT gauge and not shutting the motor down until the temp is where I am comfortable that the oil in the turbo won't coke. Anal... maybe, but all the damn rules and regs surrounding this '12 having me wondering if I made a mistake. Opinions?

 

[Missouri Mule]

Putting a boost and egt gauge on your truck shouldn't be a problem (I'm sure I have read where other members have).



Just don't mess with the emission stuff.



Also you can get the Edge Insight that will give most of the info the ECM receives, but you will need to install egt probe in exhaust manifold. And I am quite sure the Insight will cost more than a couple of gauges.

 

[JLeake]

I have a similar desire to have those two gauges as well. The Edge is about $400 plus $100 for the EGT (cheap one). The physical gauges are about $100 and $170 each plus a mounting pod which is another $60. Net is $500 for the Edge Insight, and $330 for the two physical gauges. My big question (and it has stumped me), is do the gauge pods work on the newer 4th gen trucks seamlessly? The other stopping point is my general hesitation about where the economy will head given who was 'elected'. I personally am leaning towards the edge.

 

[Roostre]

I have a similar desire to have those two gauges as well.

My big question (and it has stumped me), is do the gauge pods work on the newer 4th gen trucks seamlessly?

Good question... I haven't even made it that far.

The problem with the Edge is that it LOOKS like it could be a tuner. That may get you red flagged on warranty issues. I don't know.

When I talked to the service manager at the dealer he was very coy about answering any questions, but did reluctantly tell me that he didn't think a tuner would automatically cause a denial. His poker face sucked. No way I could trust or take him at his word.

 

[Slow Six]

I too miss the pyro and boost guages. However the stock engine shouldn't have egt issues. My observations seem to reveal that the guys who just drive these trucks have less problems than those of us who worry too much. I know a lot of people who don't warm them up, plug them in in sub zero temps or cool them down after hard driving and never have a problem. That being said I still warm my engine a bit and drive easy until temps come up and also do a cool down. A lot of new class 8 trucks lack guages as well.

 

[Patty]

I have the Edge Insight CTS and love it. There are about 4 factory temperature sensors already on the trucks exhaust including POST - TURBO so you don't really need to install the EGT probe if all you want to do is monitor turbo cool down. May not be quite as good as an actual EGT probe but I'm stock and it works for me... plus it has alot of other monitoring capabilities not shown on the EVIC but accesible just by plugging in. A dealer can't hassle you for having gauges.

You can watch your boost too!

 

[Hoefler]

When I had my 08, I installed gauges, ( boost, EGT, & Trans temp ), my dealer said there is no issue with having them and will not have any warranty issues. As stated above, all though not a tuner, the Insight can be misconstrued as a tuner and can be problematic sense it is plugged into the diagnostic port.

 

[TravisMitchell]

So if you are reading Post-Turbo temps what temp do you think is cool enough for turbo cooldown? It seems to take an awful long time for it to cool down to 400 degrees Post-Turbo.

 

[cerberusiam]

CAN A GUY DRILL AN 1/8" NPT HOLE AND (heaven forbid) Monitor some vitals??? WITHOUT it being a warranty killer?

That is the key question, installation position. Analog gauges can in no way be considered a programmer, a CTS is has been confused as a programmer and a mess ensued.

The problem you MAY run into is if there is ever any problem with the turbo, DPF, sensors or ANY item in the exhaust they will immediately blame the probe installation. Good luck trying to convince a Corp Rep the idea is ridiculous. Even if the dealer SAYS it won't void your warannty they are not the final authority. If they will not stand behind it if corporate bails it will be on your dime.

Fiat has issued corporate orders that every warranty iten is to be denied and the custome rhas to prove it is warrantable. Big ticket items will almost always hit this trigger, little stuff can be slid thru if the delaer is not doing excessive amounts. If you do ANYTHING uder the hood except service work be prepared for a battle. Even if you do filters and oil yourself DOCUMENT intervals and parts used or you could have problems.

 

[Roostre]

So if you are reading Post-Turbo temps what temp do you think is cool enough for turbo cooldown? It seems to take an awful long time for it to cool down to 400 degrees Post-Turbo.

On my last truck I never shut down until 320 post turbo.

Took a few minutes and made me wish i had a turbo timer more than once. It was really only bad on hot days when you ran the A/C. Not sure how it would be on a 6. 7L.

 

[n7gxz]

I have a similar desire to have those two gauges as well. The Edge is about $400 plus $100 for the EGT (cheap one). The physical gauges are about $100 and $170 each plus a mounting pod which is another $60. Net is $500 for the Edge Insight, and $330 for the two physical gauges. My big question (and it has stumped me), is do the gauge pods work on the newer 4th gen trucks seamlessly? The other stopping point is my general hesitation about where the economy will head given who was 'elected'. I personally am leaning towards the edge.

The triple A-piller pod that Geno's sells fit a 4th gen with no problems. I installed pyro, boost, and rail pressure right after I got my '11.

Kevin

 

[Roostre]

Noticed this little problem last night:



#ad




A gauge that we don't even need and one of them is wrong... ???

 

[Tryingit]

I had the full gauge setup in my 04. 5. I feel the complete opposite. I don't want the gauges at all. I was always watching and worrying over the gauges instead of just driving the thing. I have a great warranty on this truck. So I'm just going to drive it the way it was meant to be driven and if something breaks then Dodge can deal with it. But my guess the way I drive it nothing will break.

 

[Msimanyi]

Noticed this little problem last night:

#ad


A gauge that we don't even need and one of them is wrong... ???

I saw the *exact* same info on mine. One possible reason: they're picking up from different sensors.

Then again, I don't recall ever seeing oil pressure problems on any of my cars that resulted in a slight drop in pressure. Either pressure was normal... or there was a REALLY serious problem.

Mike

 

[Bob4x4]

Why add gauges?There is no need on a stock 6. 7. A waste of money

 

[Roostre]

Why add gauges?There is no need on a stock 6. 7. A waste of money

1. It may not always be stock- might be good to have an established baseline

2. Turbo cool down

 

[Bob4x4]

Your Turbo does have a bit of coolant flowing through it... .

 

[Jim W]

My son uses his android phone for his gauges on his 06 Cummins. He likes the idea that he can Data log the engine data on his computer for all of the engine vitals. So this may be an option for those who do not want to install the gauges on their trucks.

See attached link

http://www.sctflash.com/products.php?PID=62

Jim W.

 

[goodguys75]

scangauge 3 is a nice set up... . works well, just have to figure out the transmission temp mode

 

[Msimanyi]

Following up on the discrepancy between the analog oil pressure gauge and the digital info from Vehicle Info in the computer, it appears the two gauges differ significantly at idle only. When I'm driving they seem to be pretty close, at least as far as I can tell given the graduations on the analog gauge.

Edited to add: On the topic originally intended, I just received an Edge Insight CTS, the turbo timer and the "starter" cable kit so everything plugs in properly. I haven't installed them yet, but I may have time this weekend. While they might not be necessary on a stock setup, I like the fact that I can read OBD codes with the system, don't have to hang around waiting while the truck idles for the prescribed time stated in the owner's manual, and can customize the info displayed.

It doesn't hurt that the Insight offers other useful features too. Sam at Strano Parts (http://www.stranoparts.com) provided great service getting the order to me for a very reasonable price. He doesn't list them on his sight, but I know him through a mutual hobby, he's trustworthy and he has the entire Edge product line available.

Mike