Fitting a temperature gauge

[Shayne]

Rather than jack Wickeuk's thread which has prompted this line of thought i am starting a new one . I can't help thinking the 3" exhaust on my truck means i don't have to worry about overheating . But it's blind faith and regardless of that it would be interesting to see what sort of temperatures i get compared to others . So -

Can i fit an aftermarket sensor that will work with Toyota's gauge (which never moves as far as halfway) and if so what do i buy and where does it go ?

A pic is worth a thousand words if anyone has one

 

[Trevor]

This ones been done to death on a couple of threads,

Buy one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111323305051

Put sensor into top rad hose and RTV round to seal, wire it up. You can also add a buzzer to the output relay and programme it to trigger at your desired warning temp.

I'm seeing around 85 degrees at idle and 94 degrees when thrashing the engine so have set my alarm trigger to 96 degrees.

I've posted the programming instructions somewhere but can send them to you if needed, it's very very easy.

 

[Shayne]

Yikes gadgets i was hoping i could just change the sensor so my Toyota gauge gives some confidence right now the needle has only 2 positions on or off and it has been said its because the factory gauge is rubbish .

 

[Trevor]

But it's an accurate gadget and a easy mod to do, cheap as well. Give it a go, you know you want to.

 

[Shayne]

of course i want to but i hate junk bolted into the cab its not a landrover and it breaks my heart to think a CB is something i should add before the Romania trip .

 

[Paulpen]

I went down the route of getting a VDO gauge and mounting the sensor in the top radiator hose

 

[Shayne]

I could live with something like this in place of the factory dash time clock http://www.phoenix-tuning.com/servlet/the-215/DAKOTA-DIGITAL-ROUND-DIGITAL/Detail there must be other versions out there .

 

[Beau]

Apparently Toyota use some sort of Resistor at the back of the OEM Temp Gauge to make the unit fluctuate much less, hence it doesn't react to much when thrashing the engine. However when it does move, I've read you're actually well beyond 100 degrees!

There may be more info out there on how to just make the original gauge more sensitive to change instead of fitting an after market one in place. Both have there pros and cons of course.

 

[Shayne]

Hi Beau i thought we had lost you to the land of the free have you got a gun rack in your truck yet

From what i can gather the Toyota gauge works on the same principal as the old Rover one the mrs had which still showed everything was ticketyboo after she drove 10 miles home with a blown head and not a drop of water in the rad . I think i would trust an aftermarket gauge more i just don't like amateur additions to the dash .

 

[Garfieldus]

http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/93-97-coolant-temperature-gauge-modification.64252/

 

[stu#71]

This is what I did. Hope it helps:
pradopoint.com/showthread.php?33598-Auberins-gauge-install-(EGT-amp-Water-Temp)

(not allowed to post links yet)

 

[Shayne]

Thanks stu#17 unfortunately i am not a member of pradopoint (i gave up trying to register after multiple failed attempts) and so i can't see the pics .

 

[stu#71]

Copied it for you:


We ordered the auberins EGT gauge which came as a bundled set with the K type probe and a temp gauge which came with a PT100 sensor. This is on a 1KZTE engine for a Prado 3.0L diesel.


We removed the exhaust manifold, marked and drilled a 7mm hole for cutting a M8x1 thread to match the EGT probe. The heat shield also needs a hole to allow the wire feed out.


For the water sensor probe we found a bung in the head on the intake side. The sensor comes with a 1/8 NPT thread. I took both bung and sensor to a hydraulics shop (Martins) and they sold me an adaptor off the shelf for $5 We were a bit worried the probe didn't stick out far enough into the water flow but it seems to be working ok for now..


Both sensors wires went through the firewall where the heater cable goes.


We installed the gauges into the trinket tray under the stereo. I ordered the enclosure boxes from auberins and they fit real nicely in the trinket tray held in with a piece of double sided tape.


The wiring in was pretty straight forward following the instructions: power,ground,sensor, and a feed from the headlamps which makes the gauges dim when you turn the lights on.


The only bit where we struggled was when we fired them up they were reading crazy numbers. Like 33 Celsius water whilst hot. We scratched our heads a bit until we realised that you needed to program the gauges so they matched the sensor type! Once we worked this out using the "Input Type" setting in the menu we were fine.

Here are some pics

 

[stu#71]

More...

 

[stu#71]

Can't work out how to re order the photos but hopefully you get the idea!

 

[Shayne]

Thanks for going to all that trouble stu#17 its much appreciated what i really wanted to know is where you put the gauges . I see you have swapped the stereo and got rid of the cassette player to make room . I suppose its the obvious thing to sacrifice ............... i happen to think cassette players are the apex of home listening technology and things have been going downhill ever since .

will have to give it some serious thought because it looks to me like you have room for a single gauge and a CB radio with the cassette player removed .

 

[stu#71]

No worries. Just cut and paste.
There's lots of options. The Auberins gauges are single DIN so you have options. Some place them behind the steering wheel in the instrument cluster, others I know have used the hazard light button position (moving that down to the centre console area)
There's also these which are double DIN
.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_21&products_id=357

re the CB. For me there's only one option. A GME placed in the vacant slot behind the gear sticks

 

[Ben]

Shayne you could just use a handheld CB radio for your Romania trip.

In some ways there more versatile than a fitted one, especially in recovery situations when your out of the vehicle and other people are winching etc.

 

[stu#71]

Hang the mic off the blank under the rear heater fan switch
good luck!

 

[Ben]

For me there's only one option. A GME placed in the vacant slot behind the gear sticks

Thats the radio I've got, I've been very impressed with it.