Overheating can permanently damage your engine and transmission/gearbox. Monitor temperatures and coolant level to provide early warning of overheating with visual and audible alarms you can set.
Why do you need a
gauge to display and alarm engine and transmission temperatures? Why should coolant level be monitored?
Standard temperature indicators sometimes provide engine temperature information. But if you’re focused on driving, you may miss the indicator going into the RED until it is too late and your engine or transmission is damaged.
Often standard indicators only measure the engine coolant water temperature. If your engine coolant is lost or the level drops for any reason, many indicators won’t show that the engine is overheating. You may not be aware that your engine is being damaged.
Most vehicles do not have an indicator showing transmission temperature. If you are 4WD’ing or towing a caravan, boat, trailer etc, your transmission and engine will be working hard, increasing the temperature. The temperature of the transmission can also become excessive during high speed highway driving. If you are not aware of your actual transmission temperature, you have no way of knowing whether it is being damaged by excessive heating.
Low coolant or loss of coolant is often the cause of engine overheating. Yet many vehicles do not have an indicator to monitor the coolant level or any alarm.
This gauge allows you to monitor and set alarms for both the engine block and transmission housing temperatures during all driving conditions. The gauge also includes a sensor which monitors the engine coolant level and provides both a visual and audible alarm if the coolant level is low.
The gauge uses digital
technology and has a full colour screen to display temperatures, coolant
level, settings and alarms. The temperature display and settings can be in
Celsius or Fahrenheit (option).
The coolant level
sensor uses smart technology to monitor the coolant level. There is no need
to drill holes in the coolant bottle or put anything in the bottle. The sensor attaches to the outside of the
coolant bottle at the level you decide. Your coolant bottle will not be
damaged and your vehicle warranty cannot be affected. But for the sensor to work properly, your
coolant bottle MUST be plastic. The sensor will not work on a metal coolant tank.
You can set SAFE engine and transmission temperature levels which the display will show in GREEN. By setting the MAXIMUM temperature levels, an audible alarm and flashing RED display will be triggered if the maximum temperature is exceeded. If the temperature is above SAFE but below the MAXIMUM, the display will show an AMBER warning. If the engine or transmission temperatures are below freezing, the gauge display will show BLUE. The gauge can also show the highest engine and transmission temperatures reached since the gauge was powered on.
The engine coolant level is displayed as Green if the level is ok or Red if the level is low. A visual and audible alarm is also triggered if the coolant level is low.
Sample Video
The gauge dimensions and bezel conform to the 52mm diameter automotive gauge standard, so the gauge can be easily mounted in gauge housings or pods.
There are two gauge buttons - Menu and Settings. The steps required to set the temperature alarms, adjust the screen brightness etc are easy to follow.
How it Works
Engine Block and Transmisson Housing Temperatures
The gauge receives continuous engine and transmission temperature measurements from two digital temperature sensors mounted directly on the engine block and transmission housing.
Each digital temperature sensor can measure temperatures from -55°C to +125°C (-67°F to +257°F). The gauge displays temperatures in one degree increments.
The gauge checks the measured temperature against two temperature levels (SAFE and MAXIMUM) which are set separately for the engine and transmission.
- SAFE temperature. An engine (or transmission) temperature at or below SAFE is normal operation.
- MAXIMUM temperature. An engine (or transmission) temperature at or above the MAXIMUM will flash a RED display and trigger the audible alarm. The alarm will also be triggered If the gauge cannot receive a temperature reading from either sensor. The audible alarm can be cancelled by pressing either the Menu or Settings button or can be turned off using the gauge menu/settings.
The SAFE temperature setting must be lower than the MAXIMUM temperature setting. An engine or transmission temperature in the range between SAFE and MAXIMUM is displayed as a warning in AMBER. By pressing the Settings button, the gauge will display the highest engine and transmission temperatures reached since the gauge was powered on.
The gauge display icons, settings and colours used are clear and easy to understand. One glance at the gauge and, if the display is GREEN, all is normal.
Options
- Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature standards are supported. Please nominate the standard you require when ordering or email gaugeinnovations for advice on how to change standard.
- Two waterproof digital temperature sensors marked engine and transmission (blue stripe on the sensor) are supplied with the gauge. If you do not want to install the transmission sensor, you can set the gauge to display only the engine temperature. This is done by leaving the transmission sensor disconnected inside the junction box and restoring the gauge to factory settings once (refer to the Menu and Settings Summary). If you install the transmission sensor later, restore the gauge to factory settings again and the gauge will display both engine and transmission temperatures.
- Replacement sensors or sensors with longer cables are also available by emailing gaugeinnovations.
The coolant sensor attaches to the outside of the plastic coolant bottle at the level you decide. The sensor technology detects if there is coolant inside the bottle up to that level or not. The gauge checks the sensor and triggers both a visual and audible alarm if the sensor detects there is no coolant. There is also a red light indicator on the sensor which shows whether the sensor has detected the coolant. Smart technology in the gauge minimises false alarms if the coolant is sloshing in the bottle.
If you do not want to install the coolant sensor, you can set the gauge to display only the engine and transmission temperatures. This is done by leaving the coolant sensor disconnected inside the junction box and restoring the gauge to factory settings once. If you install the coolant sensor later, restore the gauge to factory settings again and the gauge will display temperatures and coolant level.
What’s in the box
- Temperature Gauge 52mm diameter, 47mm long, bezel 57mm diameter.
- U shaped gauge mounting bracket for automotive style gauge pods and housings.
- Power connector plug and cable 12v DC. Red is positive, Black is negative chassis ground.
- Two waterproof digital temperature sensors including cables and connectors. Engine sensor ( 1 meter cable). Transmission sensor (2 meter cable marked with a blue strip).
- Junction box to mount under the vehicle bonnet.
- One coolant sensor (1 meter cable) and mounting hardware.
- A cable (2.5 meters) with a plug at each end to connect the gauge to the junction box (normally through the firewall) 4 pin plug is at the gauge end, 3 pin plug at the junction box end.
- Mounting hardware and Instruction manual
The
temperature sensors are mounted using an existing M8
bolt located on the engine block and transmission housing where the
temperature
will be measured. It is important that a mounting point bolt for each
sensor is
used which:
·
Will
provide reliable measurement of the engine block or transmission
housing
temperature.
·
Is
well away from any other sources of heat such as exhausts, turbos etc.
· Is protected from mechanical damage to the sensor or its cable
The coolant sensor is attached to the outside of the plastic coolant
bottle using a 3M double side pad (supplied).
Gauge installation is straightforward. Only two connections are required:
- One plug for power (2 wire, positive and negative)
- One plug for the temperature sensor junction box (single cable to run through the firewall)
More detailed installation instructions are included in the gauge Instruction Manual.
Warranty and Support
The gauge has been designed, developed, manufactured and extensively road tested in Australia. It is backed by a 12 month, return to manufacturer warranty against manufacturing defects.
As further enhancements become available, wherever practicable, gauge owners will be offered an option to upgrade.
The firmware, icons etc can also be modified to suit particular requirements. If you have a special requirement or a suggestion for improvement, contact us via eBay
Please note
that due to eBay presentation variation the gauge screen colors may not
be exactly as shown.
Gauge Innovations 52mm Gauge Range
For Buyers outside Australia: Please note the postage does not cover your local custom/import taxes.