SPA Gauges

[onesloryd]

Does anyone have a good source for these?

Thanks

Matt

 

[AndyMan]

Link to the Manuf:

http://www.spatechnique.com



Their online store:

http://secure3.spiderscope.co.uk/vs/2556/product_pages/dualgauges.asp



That's about all I could find. SPA's and Westach's are supposedly the most accurate??

 

[ccateora]

http://www.performancetruckproducts.com/

 

[lawdog]

$$$$$$$$$ $380. 00 for boost and EGT... WOW, They are sharp but $$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[HParfitt]

Question On The Spa Gauges

Since the SPA gauges are digital do they have an analog to digital converter that can be mounted remotely?. What I'm trying to say. Do they have an electronics module that converts the boost and thermocouple signals in a seperate module that can be mounted remotely, IE: under the hood, or does the thermocouple wire and hose for boost need to be run to the gauge.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ccateora]

The A/D conversion for the boost gauge happens right at the sensor pickup mounted to the intake manifold. The connector is high quality and has a rubber gasket to keep the elements out.



The thermocouple wire for the EGT gauge is long enough to route through the firewall and well into the passenger compartment. There it plugs into a small black box that does the A/D conversion before the signal runs into the back of the gauge.



The SPA gauges are expensive, but also use first class quality components with tons of features (too many?) that can make them difficult for the average user to setup. You can order with a white or black gauge face, and black or chrome bezel. You can select the backlight color (red, green, or none) and adjust the backlight brightness level. Gauge hookup is very easy requiring only two wires, +12V DC and ground. EGT gauge has a very fast response time taking any guesswork out of the exact temperature you are running right at the moment. Plus you can get the peak values for both boost and EGT with the push of a button. You can change the units the gauge displays from PSI to bar, and °F to °C if you choose. You can also program high limits to illuminate special LED’s or optional relays for over boost, or over temperature conditions.

 

[AndyMan]

ccateora,



Since I have already drilled my manifold for the my type k thermocouple, would I have to replace the manifold to house a spa thermocouple (if I decided that I wanted to switch gauges. )? Same for the boost gauge. I'm hooking up a mechanical gauge via a "boost bolt" from piers. Basically, its a bolt that's hollow and threaded on both ends to accept an 1/8" (I think) npt. Would I have to drill my intake manifold, etc. etc. ?



Thanks,

Andy

 

[ccateora]

The “boost bolt” should work fine, but I choose to drill the intake manifold because things get rather tight down in the bolt area with the high pressure lines and injector wiring. The boost sensor is 1/8”-27 NPT, and the thermocouple fitting is 1/4”-18 NPT. Shown below are some pictures of my setup. Both boost and temperature automatically display 0. 1 PSI/°F resolution when the value displayed is 0 to 199. 9, and 1 PSI/°F resolution above 200. The (cold) engine is sitting at 0 PSI boot and 64. 6 °F.

 

[BMcleod7]

The guage in the pic looks nice. Does the temp tell how hot you turbo is?? and if so is that what a pyro guage does. I need to get guages but do not know much about them.



04. 5 3500 4x4 quad cab SB stock

 

[AndyMan]

The guage in the pic looks nice. Does the temp tell how hot you turbo is?? and if so is that what a pyro guage does. I need to get guages but do not know much about them.



04. 5 3500 4x4 quad cab SB stock

That's a dual gauge for boost and egt. What it shows is "Boost", which is the ammount of air being blown into the motor, and is measured in PSI. The bottom half of the gauge shows egt (exhaust gas temperature). That temperature is read from a thermocouple. That thermocouple can either be mounted pre or post turbo. The most popular place (and best in my opinon) is pre-turbo. You will have to drill and tap your exhaust manifold to mount the thermocouple. EGT is measured id degrees.



How hot the turbo is is relative to the EGT, therefore a measurement of the turbo temp itself is rather unneccessary. EGT's too high for too long will melt a piston, or any number of other nasty things. Do a search on EGT, you'll have more reading to digest that you'll most likely be willing to swallow.



There are also staunch camps for pre and post turbo mounting. Plenty of searching to do there as well.



I can wholeheartedly recommend Geno's Garage for all of your gauge needs. They include all the pieces and parts you need with each gauge, so you're not left to wonder what goes with what and where. Their tech support is top notch, and serice is fantastic. Gotta love 'em.



My . 02.

Andy

 

[willyslover]

just a note of caution. . SPA's are great BUTTTTTT

they are a bit spendy to keep in running order . . I have replaced thermocouples at around every 40/50K miles. . boost transducers at 80/100K [need that one now on mine. . not to mention the many dealers that drop them from their line up as they are a PIA to deal with for the dealers . . warranty issues drive them nuts. . so you have to hunt for the parts.

again they are good but have draw backs !!



you can also set-up a turbo heat / shut down timer off the SPA brain [many options off the back of the gauge head] . . mine works great as long as I have a good thermocouple in LOL

 

[TexBamBam]

I heard that Diesel Injecton Service also dropped SPA becasue they had too many defective units and they were a PIA to deal with. So I am going with the Westach from Geno's. They will stand behind all the products they sell.