EGT/Temp/Boost gauge selection & installation

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Rummat81

Rummat81

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Threads
45
Messages
225
Location
Edmonton, AB
Hello Guys,

I hope you guys remember me from a month back where i introduced myself as a future owner of an LJ78.

The Prado is leaving Japan on the 23rd and arriving on August 6th. It will be shipped by a customs broker to edmonton. I will be there by the time i finish my internship in toronto.

I guess it is time to plan for maintenance/mods.

I have this gauge in mind
http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=367/category_id=252/home_id=59/mode=prod/prd367.htm

It is a digital multi-gauge with a control box ( all the wires/tubes from sensors get attached to the control box in the engine bay) . It measures EGT's, boost and coolant temperature. Price seems a bit steep at first, but given the hassel i would have with wiring three guages and placing them. I think it is a nice way to go.

i Also plan to install a fusebox that can power this gauge and any future accessories
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1∂=PRF%2D70207&N=4294925143+4294839062+4294843320+115&autoview=sku

Those are my first mods apart from the scheduled maintenance that will be done.

This will be my first time installing some electrical components.

Please leave some tips/feedback as to whether digital or analog guages are better.

Thanks in advance,
Ali.
 
That is a pretty gauge.

Personnally I would just go with 3 standard gauges. Then if one broke I would not lose the others.

But it would be nice only having to mount one gauge.

Many many many threads on here talk about heads blowing up on here. This engine seems very fragile to temps. The first mod I would do after installing the gauge would be to have the coolant system fully checked out. Pressure tested, flushed, rad cleaned, install a fixed fan possibly. Then look at increasing the boost on the turbo to keep things cool.

Then watch like a hawk at the egts till you learn how to drive to keep it cool.

Welcome to the board. That should be a fin little rig!!!
 
I love mechanical gauges if is posible .. maybe I'm old school .. but analog gauges with my old dash my choice.
 
heres a pic pilfered from Crushers.......

give you an idea of what you could do.
gauges installed small.webp
 
expensive!, i installed a cheap mechanical oil gauge, a glowshift boost gauge and a mookeeh pyrometer, all were simple to install with a little fabrication, i would reccomend getting gauges that match in color like from the same manufacturer and i dont like the glow shift gauge (cant hardly see it in the day). i do like the mookeeh gauges and would buy them again. dont be afraid of buying something else. lots of folks reccomend autometer and issopro i think it is called. they arent too much work.
 
that sure looks good, thanks for posting it for us Daryl.
i sell the adapter for mounting them 3 sloted guages. it is a REAL tight fit in there but i find it easy to read and seems like a clean install...
cheers
 
denis said:
Not that you're supposed to run that high all the time either.
Click to expand...
or ANY time for that matter...
 
denis said:
The pyro in the combo only goes up to 1600F, which is insufficient IMO. Not that you're supposed to run that high all the time either.
Click to expand...

Why is that insufficient? Your not supposed to be up there any time.

How high do you run yours, even momentarily???
 
crushers said:
that sure looks good, thanks for posting it for us Daryl.
i sell the adapter for mounting them 3 sloted guages. it is a REAL tight fit in there but i find it easy to read and seems like a clean install...
cheers
Click to expand...

Yah I remembered you posting that and thought it would work good here to show how three gauges fit into a 70 series dash.
 
Dood... You're best off saving your money for when the head blows. Replace it with the 3L head. Then, after the front carrier has exploded and been replaced with an ARB, then worry about gauges and fuse blocks. You have about $4,500 in looming and imminent repairs before you start fussing with gauges.

But when you get to gauges, buy Westach. www.westach.com. I was going to say that digital gauges are kinda gay, but should be right at home in an LJ.

Peter Straub
The Replacement for Displacement
Is Introduction of Forced Induction before Combustion.
 
Behemoth60 said:
Dood... You're best off saving your money for when the head blows. Replace it with the 3L head. Then, after the front carrier has exploded and been replaced with an ARB, then worry about gauges and fuse blocks. You have about $4,500 in looming and imminent repairs before you start fussing with gauges.
Click to expand...

Your are then far, far, ahead of the game compared to the heavy, poorly setup suspension-wise, awfully uncomfortable and noisy so-called "heavy duty" landcruisers :flipoff2:
 
denis said:
Your are then far, far, ahead of the game compared to the heavy, poorly setup suspension-wise, awfully uncomfortable and noisy so-called "heavy duty" landcruisers :flipoff2:
Click to expand...
especially when equiped with 53" boots and a top speed of 50 km/hr and a fuel milage that is incalcuable...

but alas what Peter says is quite true, the gauges are a necessity but you MUST budget for a replacement head, oversize exhaust, increased boost and the weak front diff if you plan on running anything bigger than 33s in the bush...
 
Behemoth60 said:
Dood... You're best off saving your money for when the head blows. Replace it with the 3L head. Then, after the front carrier has exploded and been replaced with an ARB, then worry about gauges and fuse blocks. You have about $4,500 in looming and imminent repairs before you start fussing with gauges.

But when you get to gauges, buy Westach. www.westach.com. I was going to say that digital gauges are kinda gay, but should be right at home in an LJ.

Peter Straub
The Replacement for Displacement
Is Introduction of Forced Induction before Combustion.
Click to expand...

ROTLMAO!!! :D :D

:cheers:
 
Nice nice .. I can hijack it . ?

Peter Straub said:
The Replacement for Displacement
Is Introduction of Forced Induction before Combustion.
Click to expand...
 
appreciate all the input

Thanks a lot guys for your suggestions.
i have decided to go with mechanical gauges. After i get the vehicle, i would get a compression test and maybe a leak-down test performed.
I do not intend to put very big tires or anything that demands a lot. Just someting in which i can do occassional medium duty offroading.
Wayne i will be giving you a shout soon enough about the plate.
thanks again.
 
stay away from the auto meter mechanical oil pressure guages, i have had a bad run of them leaking... a real mess to say the least
 
I think he meant analog (as opposed to digital) gauges. But yeah, running oil into the cab is a disaster waiting to happen.
 
I've really liked my ISSPRO gauges, although I have never tried their oil pressure meters. Their EV line is very easy to read, and the graphics closely match the gauge graphics of my cluster making for a close to OEM look.

Good luck with the vehicle and install. :beer:
 
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