Free Web Site - Free Web Space and Site Hosting - Web Hosting - Internet Store and Ecommerce Solution Provider - High Speed Internet
Search the Web

THE Dodge Dynasty Website


Gauges

 

There are many gauges which may be of use to the performance minded Dynasty owner. Here are a few of the more commonly used aftermarket gauges which can be found in custom FWD Mopars.

Tach, A/F, EGT, Water Temp, Tranny Temp, Head Temp, Oil Pressure, Intake Temp, vac/boost

Tach- one of the most important gauges for any car- be it modified or stock. A tach is useful during differnt troubleshooting, but also in monitoring the engine during and after modifications. Tachs range in size, prize, and design, and can be cheaply obtained for $25. The tach gets its RPM readings through either the ignition coil (in the case of traditional ignition systems), or the crank sensor output (in the case of DIS). On the Dynasty, a tach can easily be installed on the dash, on the steering wheel column, or the underside of the dash.

A/F (Air/Fuel)- this is the second most important gauge for a FWD Mopar owner. The A/F basically monitors the output voltage from the O2 sensor, and basically displays through led's the readings the O2 is making. This is a nice and cheap way to monitor rather or not the car is running lean or rich, and is very important in fine tuning any fuel injected FWD Mopar. The O2 sensor becomes less acurate when the backpressure of the exhaust system flows too much. When this occurs, the O2 sensor will have false readings which will put the engine into a lean condition (as the better flow will allow for more O2 being read, as in a richer condition... and upon thinking things are rich, the PCM will use LESS fuel...). Typically, these gauges go for around $35 (fancier looking ones are more, some home made ones can be fabricated for like $10).

EGT- this is one of the more expensive gauges out there, prices range alot, though the better models which can read over 1900 degrees can go for $150+. Basically this gauge uses a sensor to monitor the temperature of the exhaust gases. This temperature can be used to determine if things are rich or lean. Since in a lean condition, things heat up, the EGT will read higher temps in a lean condition, cooler at rich. An EGT or A/F works best in monitoring the car's engine if you use the gauges before any changes (and thus have a point of reference from which one could determine if things are richer or leaner then normal on the gauges).

Water Temperature (or Coolant Temperature)- this gauge basically monitors the temperature of the engine coolant. This can be helpful in ensuring that things aren't too hot or too cool. If you decide to add one of these, put the sensor/hose/thermometer where the engine coolant leaves to go to the radiator, as that's going to be the hottest spot of the coolant system.

Tranny Temperature- this gauge measures the temperature of the inside of the tranny, which is helpful in knowing how hard the tranny is working (and if you know the tranny is bum or weak, you can determine if you may have tranny problems by knowing if/when its being overworked).

Head Temperature- basically reads the temperature of your heads. This is helpful during "extreme" modifications such as boost on an N/A car, when one must know if their heads can take the abuse/new situation.

Oil Pressure- Reads the pressure (often in PSI) of the oil system in the engine.This is more helpful then the idiot light as it tells about when the engine will be destroyed due to oil loss, as opposed to the light which tells you when you caused the need for a rebuild. If one really wanted to be safe, they'd have an oil pressure gauge for specific parts of the oiling system- but that's overkill for most users.

Intake Temperature- Shows the temperature of the intake air for an engine. These are not common gauges (only ones I've seen are digital) and can be helpful when trying to design an intercooler setup which would have cooler air for the engine. A nice thing to have for anyone playing around with the air intake or adding boost. Also cool to see how warm the air going into the engine is in compared to the air outside the car. For instance, with my currant setup, it could be in the 30's, but the engine will be using 60-70 degree intake air after 20-25 minutes of stop and go usage.

Vac/Boost- Shows the pressure of the intake manifold (most often in terms of psi). Helpful for if/when you add boost.

Fuel Pressure- Shows the fuel PSI. Helpful for both typical troubleshooting and especially helpful while tunning a car with a raising or adjustiable fuel pressure regulator.

Its not uncommon to spend a good $50+ per gauge, so dont expect to buy them all at once. Using the same company (and beyond that, the same gauge series- companies like autolite have several different lines of gauges with different appearances, prices, sizes etc). However digital gauges almost always come in red LED's (rarely green) so if you go all digital you can buy from different companies and have it still look uniform, my A/F and intake air temp gauges are both digital from different companies (you cant tell tho).