Adding coolant temp gauge? (1 Viewer)

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sactocruiser said:
Kerosene or Rapid Tap for aluminum is preferred for tapping and cutting Al. I've never heard of using alcohol.

I spent quite a bit of time in machine shops.

Picked this up at Gerber Systems. A high end manufacturing company. I thought it a little strange at first but it works incredibly well. I also mist any aluminum I might be cutting with a hacksaw or drilling a hole in.

Cheap lubricant, try it some time.
 
Thanks e999999 - here's the link

and a screen shot

http://obddiagnostics.com/
Gauge.gif
 
semlin said:
flintknapper, what is the single pod model you have?. I tried a couple of acrua pods and the local place and they were nowhere near fitting.


Autometer makes a Land Cruiser specific pod, but offers it in a single only.

Cost is about $21.00

www.egauges.com is just one source.
 
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Hopefully this helps show the fit and finish of the dual pod once trimmed and formed. From what I understand, it is trimmed to fit the width of the pillar and formed to fit the indent in the handle. The indent was formed with a heated end of 3/4" diameter steel rod, again from what I understand. HTH. :cheers:
PicFolder1 Pod1.jpg
 
just started a thread describing how I made a "measure any temperature anywhere for cheap" system. Used it to measure my coolant temperature. Very versatile (and cheap :) ).
 
how about connecting an aftermarket gauge to the stock temp sensor wire? or are gauges sensor specific?
 
I wonder if the lack of sensitivity in the factory gauge is in the dash gauge or in the sending unit. I would think the electrical signal sent to the gauge might be just as vague to a new gauge if you use the old sending unit. You would at least have to find a gauge that would "read" the signal correctly, would you not?
 
I haven't messed with any of the Toy senders, but all of the other senders I have seen are basic thermistors, or a resistor that changes resistance with temperature. They follow a known Temp/Resistance curve. The dead spot is in the guage. Nearly all new cars do this electrically within the guage so that the driver never sees the needle move if the temp stays within "normal" operating range.

As far as running 2 guages off the same sender goes...

1) thermistors can be designed to have any response curve desired, so the chances are pretty slim that an aftermarket sender would be identical to the stocker, therfor an aftermarket guage would not have the same response curve as a factory unit because the each would be calibrated to their respective senders.

2) if you have a 1-wire sender (never looked at the LC's), the guage is measuring the resistance by the amount of current flowing through the resistor. If you have 2 guages. Each supplies 12V at the guage through the resistor to ground at whichever metal piece the sender is screwed into. A 12V drop accross the resistor will pass exactly X amps and ONLY X amps. Each guage would supply half the current (X/2), therefore each will read half the temp, assuming they are calibrated the same. Could work with a 2 wire sender where the resistance across the resistor is measured directly, like having 2 multimeters across the same curcuit, but all aftermarket guages I have seen run 1-wire senders.

Chris
 
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That makes sense about the sending unit not matching a new gauge. I wonder if Toyota publishes the specs on the sending unit so one could find an AM gauge that would match up. Of course, that would also require the AM gauge company to publish their specs. It would be nice if TRD sold a gauge that would replace the dash unit.
 
LandCruiserPhil said:
I installed a W/T sending unit the same place Dan speaks of a year ago. Depending on how anal you are :flipoff2: you dont need to remove anything. I used 2 cordless drills for the job (1 with the proper size bit, 1 with the tap) didnt even remove the radiator cap lost maybe 2 oz of coolant. Once you have everything together less then 1 minute to install the sensor. Drill, tap, and screw the sensor in = done.

Do you have a picture of where you installed your guage. I'm not familiar with what a "boss" is.

I assume you all are using electrical as opposed to mechanical gauges?

Thanks,
Rookie2
 
Am I only the only person who has a problem with installing ANOTHER temperature gauge to replace the OEM gauge that should be working?

There has to be a way to make the OEM gauge more accurate - either by replacing the sending unit or the gauge itself.

This problem is not unique to Land Cruisers. I installed an oil temperature gauge in my Tacoma. Usually the oil temp is a consistent 190 degrees. However, I ran it hard this weekend and when I came to a LONG stoplight with the AC on full blast, I noticed that the Oil Temp rose to 215 degrees. However, my trusty Toyota water temp gauge did not move even so much as a millimeter! If the OEM gauge is not accurate, then why have it?

I have zero confidence in the factory Toyota temp gauge and it bothers me that I have no knowledge of the engines true temperature.
 
No - I'm still deciding what to do. The factory gauge is "designed" to only move up when you have a real problem. It stops the old ladies from getting paranoid - don't blink and miss it or you'll be over on that HG failure thread.
 
ElJefe said:
I haven't messed with any of the Toy senders, but all of the other senders I have seen are basic thermistors, or a resistor that changes resistance with temperature. They follow a known Temp/Resistance curve. The dead spot is in the guage. Nearly all new cars do this electrically within the guage so that the driver never sees the needle move if the temp stays within "normal" operating range.

As far as running 2 guages off the same sender goes...

1) thermistors can be designed to have any response curve desired, so the chances are pretty slim that an aftermarket sender would be identical to the stocker, therfor an aftermarket guage would not have the same response curve as a factory unit because the each would be calibrated to their respective senders.

2) if you have a 1-wire sender (never looked at the LC's), the guage is measuring the resistance by the amount of current flowing through the resistor. If you have 2 guages. Each supplies 12V at the guage through the resistor to ground at whichever metal piece the sender is screwed into. A 12V drop accross the resistor will pass exactly X amps and ONLY X amps. Each guage would supply half the current (X/2), therefore each will read half the temp, assuming they are calibrated the same. Could work with a 2 wire sender where the resistance across the resistor is measured directly, like having 2 multimeters across the same curcuit, but all aftermarket guages I have seen run 1-wire senders.

Chris

Wow, Dr. Chris :eek:
 
Rookie2 said:
Do you have a picture of where you installed your guage. I'm not familiar with what a "boss" is.

Driver's side, directly behind distributor.
coolant boss.jpg
 

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