adding gauges.....

[6T9burner]

I wanted to make a suggestion first... I have seen a lot of people piggy back the electronic portion of their gauges using vampire taps, fuse risers and other not-so-great methods. I recommend setting up your gauges off of a second fuse block, so that if you have issues with the electronics, you know where to start.

With that being said, I am still very new to IDIs. What I have seen recommend and personally installed is water temp, oil temp, tranny temp, boost psi (if you have a turbo), and Exhaust Gas Temp (EGT). Because I am lazy and have not switched out my alternator for something worth a damn, I also have a volt meter and amp meter to monitor the sad state of affairs.

 

[Alwaysreadyrob]

does anyone know of a fuel temp gauge ? im looking for some way to monitor the temp of my veggie oil just before it hite the IP.
are there any that hook up to the fuel filter head ?

 

[SLittle]

Transmission temperature - if you have the E4OD, there is a plugged port just above the pan on the drivers side. Unscrew the plug and screw in the sensor. I'm running an electric gauge (Autometer Ultra Lite specifically). Installation under the truck took 5 minutes. Run a wire from sensor up in to cab (I think I followed the speedometer cable - no need to drill anything) and terminate it to the gauge. Then just add a ground wire and a switched hot. Plus a wire that is hot with the dash lights if you want it. Behind the ash tray you will find ALL the wires you need except the one you run from the sensor. I think I powered the gauge from the cigarette lighter wire, ran the light wire to the ash tray light, and grounded to the only ground wire back there.

 

[Blackascoal]

For tranny, you can also get an aftermarket pan. I have a Derale and it has a place for the sensor. Here is a link to it:

https://derale.com/product-footer/transmission-pans/cooling-pans/14208-detail


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[IDIBRONCO]

For tranny, you can also get an aftermarket pan. I have a Derale and it has a place for the sensor. Here is a link to it:

https://derale.com/product-footer/transmission-pans/cooling-pans/14208-detail


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That looks like a good pan! Temp sender, drain plug, plus 7 extra quarts. I can't imagine it being anything that resembles cheap, but that would be the way to go!

 

[Alwaysreadyrob]

What about the AFE GROUP ?
Front Differential, Rear Differential and Trans Pan ?
Are those any good ?
Im thinking about getting all 3.

 

[andrew123]

IDIBRONCO or anyone else with vacuum gauges....for a non-turbo 7.3 IDI, what range of gauge should I look for? I see gauges called "boost gauges"....is this what I need?

I have seen 0-15, 0-30, and 0-60 for sale (psi).

I can't find the article, but a couple years back I read an article (probably off of this forum) it went into great detail on what your vacuum gauge is reading and any issues you might be having with head gasket, etc.

 

[austin92]

IDIBRONCO or anyone else with vacuum gauges....for a non-turbo 7.3 IDI, what range of gauge should I look for? I see gauges called "boost gauges"....is this what I need?

I have seen 0-15, 0-30, and 0-60 for sale (psi).

I can't find the article, but a couple years back I read an article (probably off of this forum) it went into great detail on what your vacuum gauge is reading and any issues you might be having with head gasket, etc.

Just buy the boost gauge that covers the range you’ll be running in. Most idi’s will be fine with a 0-15. Everything you read about vacuum was probably for a naturally aspirated gasoline engine which can tell you a lot but in these motors, you’d essentially only be able to see vacuum pump condition or leaks in the system. A 2 in 1 boost/vac gauge wouldn’t work in a turbo idi either


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[IDIBRONCO]

Everything you read about vacuum was probably for a naturally aspirated gasoline engine which can tell you a lot but in these motors, you’d essentially only be able to see vacuum pump condition or leaks in the system. A 2 in 1 boost/vac gauge wouldn’t work in a turbo idi either

That's the whole point of a vacuum gauge on an IDI. To monitor the vacuum pump. A vacuum/boost gauge works fine as long as it measures one or the other. It can't measure both since you're monitoring completely separate systems. Andrew123, a gauge that goes to 30" of vacuum should be all you need. If everything is working fine, it should read around 25".

 

[austin92]

That's the whole point of a vacuum gauge on an IDI. To monitor the vacuum pump. A vacuum/boost gauge works fine as long as it measures one or the other. It can't measure both since you're monitoring completely separate systems. Andrew123, a gauge that goes to 30" of vacuum should be all you need. If everything is working fine, it should read around 25".

Yeah, that’s where I was going with that. I didn’t want people to think vacuum could diagnose head gasket problems. The belt driven vacuum pump tied into a boost gauge would give false readings on both ends


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