Temperature gauge

Well, most factory gages are so heavily damped, with such a large "dead zone" that they are all but worthless. It's actually normal for oil pressure to pulsate, and cover a wide pressure range from idle to 4,000 RPM. It's also normal for coolant temperature to go up and down

For example, the 1984 Ford F-150 at my hobby farm that is my plow truck and work truck. It came with factory gage package, including tach. Naturally, over the years, most of the factory gages quit working, the tach going first. All that works now is the fuel gage

With the factory gages, the oil pressure was *always* in the middle, between L and H whatever that means. The coolant gage was also always in the middle between C and H, again whatever that means

When those gages quit, I put in Autometer mechanical gages. At idle, the oil pressure is around 20 lbs, at 2,000 RPM the oil pressure is 50 lbs.

I have 2 temp gages on the V8, one at the thermostat housing, the other at the back of the block. There is always a 30-80 F difference between the front and the rear of the block

One thing, when I shut down the motor, since the gages are mechanical the temp gages still work. On a summer day it's easy to see a hot soak, and the gages will usually climb 20-50 F. Restart and the temps quickly go back down

HD equipment also has very direct reading gage systems, as the operators are trained to understand that temp is expected to go up and down, and oil pressure to pulsate.

The average joe and jane consumer has no clue. If they saw a gage needle going up and down, they would be at the dealer whining about it. In most cases, I like the approach taken by some fleets:

If oil pressure or coolant temp is abnormal, first sound a warning. If the operator doesn't take action, shutdown the motor.

 

Re: ScanGauge Issue/Problem?

I have a 2004 Prius. I was remounting my Scangauge 2 and I had unplugged it and then reconnected it and started the car. It went into the Reconnecting mode for a bit then suddenly the Red Triange warning of Main Battery problem lit up and the MFD displayed "Problem". I was able to drive. I unplugged the ScanGauge from OBDII port and after turning car off and on 3 times it reset. I am concerned and am afraid to plug the ScanGauge in again due to the problem warning. Has anyone else had this occur and can you advise?

Please email me a direct reply as I cannot always log on? Thanks.
Curtis,
Email: [email protected]

 

I highly doubt the ScanGauge was the cause.

 

Mis-connected scan tools can and have caused problems. Check your wiring.

 

Yeah, what about US??! It annoys the hell out of me that the computer is monitoring these things (except maybe the FM signal, smartass ) and there is no way to dispay them without buying a $300 scanguage and mounting it on the dash as an obvious addon. There should be a page on the MFD with choosable guages....pick any 4, or whatever..... RPMs is my biggest complaint. You can hear the engine struggling when going up steep grades in the Sierras, but I have NO IDEA how hard it is struggling. I have no interest in pushing my ICE to 5k RPM, and would back off the throttle before that, but am not 'trusted' with this info....

Jeremy

 

Quote:
1> Pilots are perfectly capable of keeping track of many gauges
at once, so the "distraction" argument is irrelevant.

There's a good reason why we, as pilots, can track so many gauges.
First, there isn't as much outside distraction (read: idiots) in flying as there is in driving. (Although you do have to keep your head on a swivel and use proper visual scanning techniques.)

Secondly, all our analog gauges are turned so that, under normal operating situations, the gauge needle is pointing in the same direction. This speeds recognition of potential changes/problems.

Thirdly, no aircraft that I fly is without an idiot gauge.

I've flown helicopters, for years, as an instrument rated commercial pilot, even in wartime and I can tell you that I feel it's more dangerous on the streets then in war.

Since owning my Prius one week, I've already had 3 very close calls and I was just sitting still. People just drive TOO aggressive.

Oh... the temperature gauge issue.....yes,

I'd like a temperature gauge on my Prius, even digital. A temperature gauge saved my bacon one time when after a cold winter we got some warm days and I kept wondering why my car was running so excessively hot, then I quickly realized I needed to remove the cardboard blocking my radiator.

I'd also like to see vaccuum gauges make a comeback, they tell you the health of the engine, but that probably won't happen.

ZC1

 

I only fly a few times a year, but never ever have I encountered bumper to bumper traffic; stop lights or traffic lights in the air; intersections; cyclist; pedestrians ...
Yes things do happen faster when flying but there isn't that much going on as when you're driving.
You may want to consider these factors before making comparisons about "distractions" between these two modes of transportation.

 

In at least one case, the vacuum gauge *has* made a comeback.
My add-on dash panel looks like this, and here's the key to
what's what. It's all documented in depth. And a lot of what's
in there is genuinely retro!
.
The scangauge could in *theory* provide roughly the same reading
on engine demand via the LOD parameter, but there's nothing
quite like seeing the li'l needle swinging around. Besides, the
'04 ECM is known to report LOD incorrectly anyways. Between that
and the MFD and stock speedo and the GPS, it's really not too much
to keep track of -- it's all close to the road sightline and I've
gotten really good at scanning all of it with emphasis on the
parameter of interest at the time [RPM & vac for pulse, battery
current for glides/WS]. If a road situation demands more attention,
it receives same immediately. But I also try to maintain proper
distance from everything around me, just like someone would when
flying. Yes, it's much more difficult to do that on roads, but
not impossible despite all the counterarguments routinely offered.
.
_H*

 

Oh my gosh!

Do people ever stare at you at stoplights, with all that circuit board laying about?
Hehe.

I was gonna ask if the gauge panel came from a Pinto wagon or something.

 

this should never happen, vehicles are tested to avoid this, cooling, correctly dimensionned should prevent this.

 

Is the Scangauge something that one with a fairly good technical background can install? Where does it hook up? I see it advertised with a standard length or long cable. Which is required?

 

If you can plug in a lamp you can install a ScanGauge. It plugs into the ODBII port which is located on the underside of the dash in front of your right knee as you sit in the driver's seat. If you feel down there, you'll find it.

The length of cable needed depends on where you intend to place the gauge itself. I just coiled up the cable and put it in the storage space under the radio. Then I put the gauge in there in front of the coil of cable. Doing it this way I'm unable to close the hinged door on that storage space, and the cable comes out thefront of the storage space on the drivers side and goes down along the dash to the plug. This keeps the cable out of the way of my legs/feet while driving.

If you want a cleaner look, some people have disassembled the dash a bit to run the cable behind the dash panels and then drilled a hole where they wanted to place the gauge.

 

Does the dealer carry the scan gauge?

 

Nope, not a dealer item. It can be bought through the PC shop.

No installation is required, except to the extent you might want to mount the display box. It can simply rest on top of the steering column, though if you want something a little more permanent, you might search PC for mounting option ideas. No wiring is needed; it plugs into the car's OBDII connection just below the bottom edge of the dash, forward of the driver's right leg.

 

I'll probably buy a scangauge for next winter, specifically to monitor the coolant temp, for a couple reasons:

1. Interested in blocking off some of the front grill to keep the engine warmer (= better mpg), but paranoid about overheating.

2. Knowing when it's "safe" to use the heater.

That last might want some elaboration. I bought my Prius late last winter, and noticed a district drop in mpg if I ran the heater.

My commute involves a fair amount of stop and go; I tracked the problem to the Prius keeping the ICE going during stops when it ought to be shutting down. If I remembered to toggle the heat off before coming to a stop, the engine would shut down and mpg would be significantly higher over the course of the commute.

I figure if I could actively monitor the coolant temp, I could use the heater only when the engine was warm enough to tolerate stealing some heat without impacting mpg too badly and wring a little more performance out without freezing.

And yes, my wife thinks I'm crazy.

 

How sensitive is the Prius to overheating (if you drive a little low on coolant might that damage the head or head gasket) ? On my Civic (not a hybrid) thank goodness there is a real analog temp gauge cause the block and head is aluminum (sp?) that and the head gasket is a little on the cheesy side, from what I hear if you drive a little on the hot side even briefly best to have a good pair of walking shoes handy