What gauges to add to a diesel ?
 

So I want to add some gauges to my Duramax dually to better monitor what's going on . The OEM gauges include oil pressure/engine temp/transmission temp and voltage . I am thinking about adding boost and EGT gauges . I am soon ( hopefully ) going to haul a 2500 lb. truck camper and a 14' boat . Not overly taxing but still want to make sure nothing bad going on . Are any other gauges needed ?

I would say no, but temperature gauges for the rear differential and brakes might be something you want. I always have a temperature gauge in the center vent on the dash.

I was wondering about fuel pressure , what does fuel pressure fluctuations indicate ? I am adding a lift pump but it is low pressure/high volume . Trying to learn the value of fuel pressure readings .

If hauling heavy loads, a transmission temp gauge will tell you when to back off/park (mostly in the mountains).

Your tuner doesn't monitor EGT and Boost?

I liked running EGT, Boost and Trans temp.

Boost and EGT

I have this gauge mounted in a pod on top of the steering column.

https://www.westach.com/boost-egt-combo-gauges

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1...6964f4~mv2.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1613831371.jpg

What gauges to add to a diesel ?
 

I run boost, EGT and trans temp on an over head pod. I also have an Edge CTS that has a fuel pressure input along with all the other reading through the OBD2 port. The must must must is EGT. You can easily cook a turbo with a tune under load.

The CTS is a good option as it monitors so many things in one unit. You can add pressure or temp sensors to it as well for custom reading.

Ford 6.0 injectors are super picky on fuel pressure and unlike yours, are fed low pressure (65#), that’s why I monitor that. If you are adding a low pressure lift pump, you obviously are trying to help out the injection pump. It would be a good idea to monitor your low pressure to verify the lift pump is working as intended.


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I'll call my brother and see if he still has his scangauge from his old Chubby Dmax. I don't think he uses it anymore. He might just give it to ya.

The Scangauge is a good product but I don’t believe it will monitor anything that can’t be read through the OBD. EGT and fuel pressure won’t be there.


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Appreciate the suggestion let me know what he says .

No . My tuner if you want to call it that just plays with the injectors and doesn't have a display . I haven't fully hooked it up yet until I can monitor EGT .

TimT that is a nice dual gauge but physically too large in diameter for me . I want to mount on the A pillar and gauges for the A pillar are generally 2 1/16 diameter . I think I have it narrowed down to Hewitt Industry gauges . They are made in the US and are used by some OEM's in the tractor trailer arena . Supposedly very good quality and decent price . I have found a vendor selling the boost gauge and EGT gauge with install kits for 209.99 total and free shipping . Just need to add the A pillar mount which is another $20.00 .

I have a couple Westach gauges in my 911 for a voltmeter and dual CHT. Definitely check out their offerings; they have many gauges in the 2-1/16 size. Westach is made in the USA.

The Westach gauge I linked is 2" dia.

Yep, these are the three you need. And get decent quality gauges that are readable in all light conditions. The factory gauges in a modern PU truck are barely worthwhile. Other than coolant temp, they do not actually move in a linear or calibrated way with changes in what they are supposedly measuring.

If the trans temp is within a certain range, the gauge needle will park itself dead in the middle of the field. Same w voltage, etc. If a gauge like oil pressure doesn't move while you go from idle to acceleration, it isn't really measuring.

You are smart not to run a tuner without proper gauges. You have absolutely no idea what EGTs are without them.

I'll have to ask my brother. I thought that he had something on his SG that showed EGT. Thinking about it though, I don't know how it would unless he installed a thermistor in the exhaust to read it.

Honestly, if you're not pulling right now you can plug the tuner in. I wouldn't go to the "extreme" setting, if it has that, without the EGT gauge but otherwise you should be fine. Depending on the weight and whether or not you're pulling in hill country, you really don't have much to worry about. A good grade with a real load behind you will make EGT's climb like a mofo. You'll find yourself looking at your EGT gauge more than the road when you're pulling something heavy.

Just called my bro. NOPE scangauge doesn't read EGT sorry for the bad info.

I had a $100.00 gift card from my new cellphone provider so I just ordered a Hewitt boost gauge , a two gauge A pillar mount and a AC oil filter for the truck ......... came to $99.30 :D . So now I am going to order the Hewitt EGT and call it done . Thanks guys SmileWavy

What is the optimum EGT number? I almost never tow heavy, but haul ass up lots of long steep grades traveling the western states. An Edge tuner is set to stock setting because I don't want to blow up the truck. With a slight input of the pedal going from 65-75 up a grade, the EGT goes up to somewhere 1100 but for normal hwy driving, it hovers at 800-850. What number is dangerous territory?

1100 is ok but anything above that for any length of time is dangerous. My turbo diesel RV will peg 1200 or higher underboss but it drops right back down if I let off the pedal...almost instantly. A good gauge is a life saver.

As I search for where to purchase the Hewitt EGT gauge kit I came across these vendors . Never heard of them but the price is in the " too good to be true " category . I have found prices from 60.00 to 200.00 for the same part number :confused: All spec's/part number/kit contents are the same per the description on various websites . Thoughts ?

https://www.lyusful.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=50736 #reviews_mod

And this one

https://www.elysdocu.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=51955

Thoughts? Yeah, buy the one for $60, not the $200 one. :)

This morning I purchased the matching EGT gauge from fleabay , it is actually coming from the manufacturer . I paid much more this way but I just didn't trust the " cheap websites " 🙁 . So the gauge quest is over just need to install 😁

One thing I never go cheap on is my guages. Autometer, VDO and Stewart are the best. I don't trust factory guages one bit. They are not very accurate, although the boost guage on my Super Duty is dead on.
My Dodge didn't have a factory boost or trans guage.
I run oil pressure, trans, coolant temp. Boost and EGT. I know a couple guys that run tranny pressure guages. I think that's overkill for me, but they do a lot more heavy towing.


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Vinman I agree on quality gauges , the Hewitt company has been making gauges since 1955 . They are quality stuff . So I feel good about using their boost and EGT gauges . I have no way of knowing if my factory oil pressure/engine temp and tranny temp gauges are accurate . But I do know they move/change readings with various ambient temperature and loads being pulled or hauled . It's worked ok for 175,000 miles so far 😁

I've put aftermarket guages in a good number of my vehicles over the years. I was surprised in the different readings between them and some of the factory ones.


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Not doubting you one bit but how do you know which gauge isn't accurate ? The OEM could be accurate and the aftermarket could be off . And it could be the other way around . The Hewitt gauges are advertised as being accurate to within 2 percent . Good enough for me if that's correct .

Don't misunderstand me. 'Im not knocking Hewitt one bit. They are excellent. So dont think I was bashing your choice. Not one bit. I was just saying I've checked factory against different aftermarket ones in the same vehicle. The aftermarket ones always were pretty much consistent with each other.

Vinman I didn't take your comments as criticism we're good 😁 . With the little bit of internet research I did I found negative and positive comments for every brand name and every cheap manufacturer . The truth is probably somewhere in the middle 🙂 . The Hewitt gauges seem to be good to very good quality at a reasonable price . One year warranty on the gauges and lifetime on the EGT probe/wiring . It's all good 😊

I'd argue that accuracy is not necessarily all that important... you are really just using the gauges as an indicator in case something goes wrong - like your pump is failing or you lose an injector and the EGT starts to climb.