Pyrometers, options, mounts...

[Recovry4x4]

Try http://www.westach.com/ They can custom make up to 4 gauges in one housing and you get to pick. I don't think they are cheap but they are very cool.

 

[brgmchevy]

Guess I haven't really got a definite answer as to where its from.

brgmchevy I thought you found out it(turbo) was off a LDS motor.

 

[jwaller]

it is indeed a westach. it cost me about 250 if I remember and that comes with 24V lights. I did the combo bc I didn't wanna have to be looking at 2 gauges to get my info. if you wanna order this one pm me and I'll dig up the part number. It was custom and they had to build it. took about 2 weeks. I wish I have gotten them to use 0-20psi now. I didn't think these trucks made this much boost. if you like I'll sell you this one and I'll I can order the 0-20psi. I do have my fuel turned way up. I doubt a stock deuce would ever make this much boost.

 

[OPCOM]

Try http://www.westach.com/ They can custom make up to 4 gauges in one housing and you get to pick. I don't think they are cheap but they are very cool.

Check their "bargain basement" -a -250 - 0 - +50 amp meter. could be good for monitoring charge from the alternator into the batteries (0 to +50A) and discharge from the batteries (0 to -250A) Probably such high-current discharges would be short, such as when firing a directed energy weapon. Other uses may suggest themselves and the meter can be used in reverse.

 

[OPCOM]

I bought a 0-15PSI autometer mechanical fuel pressure guage. pressure is pressure.. Can I use it for boost?

 

[Recovry4x4]

Certainly can Patrick!

 

[cranetruck]

Mine is an industrial mechanical pressure gauge. El Cheapo here paid $10 for it... new. Does not have internal illumination, but heck, I sometimes need a flashlight to see some of the other gauges too.

You'll be good Patrick. Some gauges ar not to be used for oil and since it is possible to get fuel pushed up to the gauge, you have some extra insurance. I'm mentioning that because it happened to me once and discovered that my flame heater was leaking that way. I plugged the flame heater after that pending further investigation.
Use a good fuel hose for you connection or perhaps "Nylon 11" (suggested by RDM).

 

[OPCOM]

Thanks, that is good news!

I've got the good quality fuel hose, a brass "T" block with the threads to fit the manifold plug port. That way the flame detector can 'see through' the straight part of the block into the flaming area, and the "T" port on the side of the little block will go to the boost guage.

I hope to work on this during next week when I am off work. I am busy for the next couple days as my mother is in the hospital and just had surgery today. She is resting comfortably now and we will be visiting alot, she is the first priority.

I'll post images later (of the installation, not the operation).

So, where did those with the nice metal pyro/boost guage boxes on the steering columns get the boxes? I'll have to clean up my guage-mounting jobs now.

 

[cranetruck]

Mine is from Hoffman Engineering. Go and ogle it, zillions of choices.

Hope your mother is well.

Merry Christmas.

 

[cranetruck]

For more info on the "flame detector", see: http://imageevent.com/cranetruck/flamedetector

I have a light assy for the detector on the pod along with the pyro and boost gauges as can be seen in the image(s).

 

[OPCOM]

So whats the light on top of the box for? Does it flash on when you get near the danger zone?

Nice looking set up.

The light on top of the box is a low oil pressure warning light.
Jeff

Jeff, what is the pressure at which your low oil pressure light comes on?

 

[Deuceswild]

So whats the light on top of the box for? Does it flash on when you get near the danger zone?

Nice looking set up.

The light on top of the box is a low oil pressure warning light.
Jeff

Jeff, what is the pressure at which your low oil pressure light comes on?

OPCOM,
It will be operated off of a 10 / 15 PSI sending unit which will be plumbed between the stock unit and the engine block using a brass " tee "..... As of right now, that part of that project is still incomplete, I hate loose ends, but there's only so many hours in a day.
Jeff

 

[OPCOM]

Hi group,

This C.J Baker article covers a lot.Gale Banks has been at this a long time.

http://bankspower.com/Tech_whyegt.cfm

JimK

I just re-read the article, and also the "racing the diesel" article as well. Thanks again for finding these!

These are both very good technical marketing pieces with the emphasis on "technical" and offer alot of good info for those of use who are not diesel experts like Banks and other big boys. I've sent them to the admin for the articles section, hopefully it will be seen as "OK" to keep them here for fair use and our educartional purposes.

 

[OPCOM]

Ok, for an update on the boost guage (using a fuel pressure guage for the boost).. As shown in my previous images, the pyro install included a pretty sloppy mounting job for the guage. I thought about a box like a few people have done, they are very nice looking. In the end, however, I'd like to share what I did even though it is not quite done yet. The materials used for mounting would make this interesting to the electronics geeks here.

I took a standard 0.250" thick 2U (3.5") high 19" rack panel and mounted it flat in the horizontal plane on the little 1" wide dashboard above the guage panel area. I used exising holes of the screws in the dash. I had to cut out a 1" by about 9" section of the rack panel to clear the defroster outlet. at the drivers side end of the panel, which ends about 1" to the left of the edge of the defroster duct, I drilled and tapped a hole of the same size as all the dash-top screws, and used that hole to secure the panel end using the panel's original hole (Used a panel with holes, not slots).

The panel does not block view of any guages, but it does block the view of the "MAX SPEED 55 MPH" stenciled on the face of the dash above the guage panel. To pass the guage wiring through, I cut a 1" hole at the back edge of the panel, and then extended the hole to the edge, making it a U-shaped cutout. This lets the thing be put in/out for more work without having to inconveniently disconnect the guages.

The end result is to have a surface on which to mount cup-mounted guages (or whatever you wish), and also to provide a place on the underside of this panel to mount a lamp of some kind to shine on the truck's guages without the glare interfering with the driver. There is about 2" of space to mount things to the bottom of the panel.

This could solve the poor instrument illumination issue on these trucks. Even with positioning the original dash lamps rearward as Bjorn has done, I find that I myself have a hard time seeing the guages well at night. I will experiment with one of those 'neon' lamps and see how that works. It will probably be too bright? possibly can be dimmed. How about one that puts out some UV to make the dash guages flouresce somewhat?

I'm not finished yet but thought it might be interesting.

 

[cranetruck]

Clean looking install, Patrick.

Illuminating the dash gauges in the fashion described is a good idea. Fiddling with the location of the filament in the original fixtures is not working that well. I have a small flashlight handy for night time driving.

 

[houdel]

If you are reading 900F post turbo, I would not mess with the fuel setting. Depending on who you believe, the difference between pre and post turbo temps can be 150F-300F or more. If you are already at 900F post turbo, you are already close to 1100F-1200F pre turbo. That is about as hot as you want to get, unless you like replacing turbos.

As for you question about your pyro reading 50F disconnected, that depends on the type of pyro you have installed. If yours is a straight mechanical pyro, the gauge assumes a specified base temperature, usually 70F, and gives a delta reading relative to the signal received from the probe. Mechanical pyros do NOT compensate for ambient temperature, so if your pyro is based at 50F and you are running in 100F ambient, your pyro will read 50F LESS than the actual EGT.

I went with an ISSPRO electronic pyro. They compensate for ambient temperature, so my pyro reads the EGT corrected for ambient temperature.

 

[OPCOM]

Thank you very much! Since I bought some proper tools, it's made a difference in what I can do. I still have to paint it and I'll wait till I have a guage-illuminating lamp figured out. I thought it was just my eyes, sure the young soldiers in their 20's would have less of a problem seeing the guages..

Too bad the larger lamps I think 6 candlepower ones in size T3 would not fit without touching the screw-in red plastic inserts (and melting them), they did illuminate the instruments very well. When I tried them, I noticed a burning smell, later they would not unscrew because they had melted slightly to the lamps, so I turned the lights back on, and once the burning smell appeared, I was able to unscrew them!

I thought about finding a way to cut off the screw-in part of the inserts and making then snap-on to the hole, but couldn't figure out how to do that (and they would not be waterproof any more).

 

[OPCOM]

It is a mechanical pyro, that is, no electronics excep the meter and probe. No amplifier. I agree about the post-turbo readings. DrFoster has suggested that I may be reading 100 degrees high due to heat soak from the turbo because my probe is 2" from the turbo exhaust and therefore could go to 1000 degrees. That gives me a warm feeling and I trust his experience but I do not exceed 900 degrees since I respect my engine and want it to last a long time. I'm happy with it where it is set now, no need to increase it.

I used the same T-fitting scheme as Bjorn in the picture flame_tee.jpg above and the hookup was very convenient. Since installing the boost guage (the truck has never left the driveway with the guage yet)I have seen only very little pressure. I suppose this is normal since there is no load on the engine. If I rev it, and spin up the turbo, the guage will hit about 1-2 lbs as the engine slows down faster than the turbo and it's still pusing some air. I took out the spark plug and put my finger to the hole and had a friend rev the engine to 2000RPM and let off, and there is a little puff of pressure. This makes me very happy. I can't wait to get it out on the road.

On to the lighting scheme. I tried a blacklight, but it had very little effect on the guages of the deuce. It did light up the new pyro and boost guages very well. I will report later after trying a different light.

 

[houdel]

A "C" turbo will be lucky to hit 8 PSI max boost. A "D" turbo might hit 10 PSI. Don't waste your money on a Deuce turbo gauge reading over 15 PSI unless you have a LDS turbo, even then I doubt they will get to or above 15 PSI. These turbos were designed to meet EPA exhaust smoke regulations, NOT to increase engine power!

You will not see any significant boost unless you are on a long uphill climb at max throttle and rpms in the 2300-2500 rpm range!

 

[cranetruck]

I have routinly seen 12 psi in the hills with my "D" turbo, usually associated with an EGT of 1,150°F or so and I ease off. Less for biodiesel/veggie...