Dammnit I'm losing my nerve!

After buying and installing the transmission temperature guage, and finally getting it to work, I decided in a rash moment, to lash out and buy the turbo Boost and Pyro gauge as well!

Now I'm freaked out about the idea of connecting them up and thinking I might take em to a engineering shop and get them installed!

The idea of drilling and tapping metal things gives me the hebeGB's....

I have some cheap tiawanese dies and taps, but honestly don't even know if they are the right thread pitch type, thing and I've never had any success using the things when I have say a bolt in a vice, even then i can screw it up getting the thing started right etc...

What chance would I have with a turbo up? (down?, sideways?) Pipe thing anyway - I don't even know which pipe or where gets drilled or if my drill will fit in the space in the engine bay to drill it...

OK - the ignition power, dimmer lighting & earth source is already tapped for the trans temp gauge, so I was just going to jump across those wires for the other two gauges ... which is much easier than the original trans temp install...

But this pressure Map line thing for the turbo boost - and this drill tap business for the pyro has me freaked out!

Shouldn't I just pay the engineering shop to do that for me - isn't that what "engineering types" people are for?

1. Is it cheating if you don't do the WHOLE guages install yourself but summon help for the technical bit?

2. Why does the turbo boost gauge read into boost and vacuum does the needle go both ways?

3. Why do we need the boost gauge and what can we tell from it?

OK - the PYro tells me if I'm getting the exhaust temps too hot while towing....

Mine are all in metrics, like 900 degrees C for EGT's and 30 "in/Hg" for vacumm and 25 PSI for boost...

I guess I'm gonna be doing a LOT of conversions from metric to imperial to compare results with you guys!

4. Can I get a board consensus? - having brought a wood butcher this far - is it OK to "wimp out" and get help with the other gauges install for the tricky engineering type bits??

Cheers!

 

1- if you dont feel comfortable doing it, by no means is it cheating... its in your trucks best interest to have someone else do it if you arent ok doin it


2- the reason the guage has vac on it is cuz for some reason you got a guage for a gas car, they need the vac part where our trucks dont

3- lol I hope you figure out those conversions fast lol I know Id be lost.... lol id be tryin to get my cell phone out and the calculator... lets see 900c is hmmm carry the 2 divide by 9 now what .... damn it.... and then it would explode cuz 900 is 1652 and by that time my pistons would be one with the block

 

They are actually really easy to do. I was a little intemadated at first to but decided to do alot of homework and jump in. Here is a link for great instructions http://www.dieselmanor.com/diy/PSD3-...73gauge-p1.htmThe boost gauge that tells you the pressure that your turbo is pushing, is just a tee fitting in the map line with compresion fittings. If you have a couple of wrenches it won't be a problem. The pyro you can tap or get the clamp version that all you have to do is drill a hole and then clamp the pyro to the pipe if you don't want to tap it. If i were you i would buy the right size tap(a quality one) and tap the hole. If you don't feel comfortable with that just use the clamp pyro and all you have to do is drill a hole. I wouldn't be to scared, you just tore into your trans which was probably intimadating at first to. Goodluck

 

It's easy! Don't be scared... although I was nervous when I first did mine, also. Just take your time. There's really nothing to it (but to do it! ).

 

And don't forget... experience is the thing you get right after you needed it!!

 

it's really easy. Once you have all the parts, i have pictures of everything to the hookups. For the boost gauge, it's mechanical and it doesn't need power to operate. Actual air pressure will come in the cab. You don't need a Vacuum half of the gauge, as diesels do not produce vacuum, only turbocharger boost. For the EGT, i dont know of a vendor that will make a gauge in a metric temperature. However for our sake, and your sake of easiness, get one in Farenheit. We all know what the "redline" is, and the temperatures crusing down the road, and the temperatures to be reached before shutting down. It would be hard for us to convert all of the temperatures over, when you are the only one going to get any benefit out of it. If you tapped the lighting for the trans temp gauge to 12v direct power, it will always illuminate unless you have it on a keyed 12v source. On the headlight switch where you control the dash light dimmer (that thing you left on, that made the interior light come on ), you can tap into that wire (on my 2002 US truck it's a light blue wire with pink tracer) and the gauges' lights will be the same brightness as the rest of the dash, and they will dim as well.

But hey if you still want help doing the install, if you pay for my plane ticket, i'd gladly come down and install them for you, minimum one week labor!

 

Dont feel bad about being afraid to drill and tap that hole in the manifold. I am a welder and a machinist. I was flat on my back with a drill motor 3 different times for about 20 minutes a at a time before I worked up the courage to drill it. By all means have it professionaly done by someone that will stand behind there work. I almost did. The most important part is getting the gauges in there no matter who does it. I will admit though it was very easy to do. I just had a hard time convincing myself to drill into something I paid so much hard earned cash for.

 

As far as converting here is a handy tool john7894 truned me on to http://joshmadison.net/software/convert/

 

Fly, I am feverishly searching for a solution to your problem. So far, no luck finding that magnetic thermocouple.

Excellent post newbe.

Seriously though, if you're not sure of your tap thread size, drill and tap a piece of scrap and test your thermocouple in it. This will also give you an idea how deep to tap for a good fit before you need that experience.

 

Hey flywest, it's OK to back off from a project when you feel overwhelmed. As suggested, go to dieselmanor and study all the instructions. The pictures really helped me. If you opt for the clamp version on the pyro, make sure the clamp is large enough. Mine wasn't. No big deal as I had the foresight, for once, to check this out. Good luck and let us know how you made out.
PS 'magnetron man'? can you say radar ?!