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Diesel Gauges, Why Do You Need Them?
So, you keep hearing all this talk about 'Gauges, dude you need to get gauges on that rig before you melt it down.'
Curious what they're talking about? Look no further than this article.
In short, the primary gauges that most people refer to when they say 'you need gauges' are the Pyrometer,(measures the exhaust gas temperatures, and is the most important out of the three) Boost, (Measures the PSI being produced by the turbo, honestly, it's just a gauge that flops around alot and looks cool, but is useful when diagnosing power problems) and if you have an Automatic Transmission, a transmission temperature gauge.
Some people, especially diesel drag racers and 'Tractor Pullers' like to go beyond those three gauges, and then again other people like CSIPSD(username on www.powerstroke.org, and www.thedieselgarage.com) go way beyond the gauge of duty, and have (how many is it CSIPSD? 13?) gauges for everything under the sun. If there's a temperature or pressure that can be measured, some company will make a gauge for it. There are several companies that make gauges, such as ISSPRO and Autometer, to just name a couple, but there are quite a few brands out there to choose from.
Let's talk about the three most important gauges for a bit.
Pyrometer gaugeWhen you turn up your truck with a chip, or if it's mechanically injected, turn up the injection pump, you're injecting more fuel, which makes the Exhaust Gas Temp. go higher than it would normally. In stock vehicles, the engine is set up so that, even if you have the pedal to the metal going up a 20% grade, lugging it at 1000 rpm, that the engine will not get hot enough to cause damage. Add more fuel, and that statement goes out the exhaust pipe, so to speak. the Pyro's function is to measure how hot your gases are, and to let you know when things are getting too hot,(1250 degrees~ PRE turbo) and you should back your foot off of the go pedal. It also lets you know when the gases are cool enough to shut down the engine without oil coking the turbocharger's bearings (350 degrees) but that's another story for another article. See 'Idling Your Diesel, when to idle, when to not'
Boost gaugeAgain, this gauge's primary function is for show, when you mash the go pedal, the boost climbs quickly, and when you let off the go pedal, the boost drops quickly. It's more for entertainment than anything else, however. It helps diagnose low power problems. For instance, if you have high EGTs, but low boost psi, then you know you have an AIR problem, but if you have low EGTs and low boost, you know you have a FUEL problem. If you have a VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo) on your truck, the boost gauge will also let you know when your vanes are stuck (making boost at idle are we now?)
Trans. Temp GaugeIf you have a manual transmission, ignore this and move on, but if you have an auto. trans. listen up. Your automatic transmission operates off of hydraulic pressures, and when you turn up your diesel, you put extra strain on your transmission, this extra strain creates more heat, and slipping of the clutches, which create more heat. Most transmissions can take the extra strain for quite a long time, but they still have to be operated within their temperature parameters. I've been told never to let a transmission's temp go above 220 degrees for any length of time, and the reason isn't that the transmission itself is overheating, but the higher temps. basically cook the fluid inside the trans. and dramatically shorten it's life, and if the fluid is not changed it shortens the life of the transmission.
In conclusion, gauges are an important asset to the health of your high performance diesel!
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