Audible temperature gauge

[cameo]

Does anyone use the 'Engine Guard' temperature gauge with the audible alarm? I killed the motor in my NL a few weeks ago from overheating (a sad and sorry story!) and I've just bought another and don't want to take the chance of it ever happening again.

Thanks, Cameo

[GHendo]

I’ve got the Engine Watchdog which has an audible alarm and ‘yes’ it works well. I had a temperature episode a couple of years ago and I was alerted to it in time by the audible alarm. Wouldn’t be without it now.

Cheers

Geoff

[GHostNizal]

yeah I do, they work well and versatile to what you want to measure or trigger relays at set temp etc.

[erad]

I have an NW diesel, and have fitted an Engine Watchdog and a Scangauge II. I have Cooling water temp displayed on the Scangauge, and the Watchdog fitted to a bolt on the thermostat housing. Being fitted externally, the watchdog doesn't accurately monitor the temperature and typically shows around 82 Deg C compared to 88 or 89 Degrees on the Scangauge. This doesn't matter because I wanted and audible alarm. The OEM temperature gauge doesn't move at all from its running position, whatever the temperatures. I have the Watchdog alarm set at 88 Deg C, and on a hot day after shutting down the engine it occasionally screams (so does my wife when it does!). This is due to the heat soak effect, and start the engine and it goes away almost instantly.

If I had my druthers again, I think I would go for the Ultragauge, because it has a better display and also I understand it includes an audible alarm as well. The Scangauge lacks this feature.

I transferred the Watchdog over from my old NL Pajero. It was fitted to a bolt on the intake manifold because the thermostat was rather remote from the engine block, and I wanted to be able to monitor the head temperatures. This worked reasonably well, but the displayed temperatures were all over the place in cold weather. Also the heat soak effect when the engine was shut down was very pronounced, but it did monitor the temperaturess and I never had it scream at me in anger.

[Aussie_Dan]

Watchdog fitted to a bolt on the thermostat housing. Being fitted externally, the watchdog doesn't accurately monitor the temperature and typically shows around 82 Deg C compared to 88 or 89 Degrees on the Scangauge.

You should move the watchdog sensor, Erad.
At the thermostat housing you will have cooler readings due to the cool water being returned from the radiator to this housing. If you want to really know what your max temp is, you need to move the sensor to the water outlet at the top of the head, so that it is sensing the temperature of the hot coolant as it leaves the head and enters the top of the radiator.
Cheers, Dan.

[cameo]

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who repied to my query; sorry for the delay in getting back but I've been away for a few days. I will have a look at what's involved in fitting the two different gauges mentioned and will choose whichever looks like being the easiest.
Thanks again,
cameo

[sharkcaver]

The Ultragauge, while nice having an audible alarm, relies on the oem temp sender for its info and that relies on the sender being in coolant. Which is all well and nice, until you lose water and then it wont sense there is a problem, because there is no coolant to measure - such as blowing a hose. When you realise you have an issue, it wont be a temperature alarm alerting you to the problem and by then its too late.

That's where the after market units come into there own. They don't rely on the presence of water to detect there is a problem, so if you catastrophically blow a hose for example, it will let you know. There are a few different systems around now, and I haven't looked into them in ages, so it will be hard for me to comment on the pro's/con's of the different types available.

[erad]

Not only blow a hose - my wife was a passenger in a TM Magna which popped a welsh plug. She saw some steam or water come out of the gap in the passenger side of the bonnet. She told the driver that there was a problem. The driver watched the temp gauge. It went up slightly, then went down. Nothing else, and it was all over in less than 15 seconds. Had my wife not noticed it, a disaster would have ensued. Eventually that problem was sorted as a cracked engine block, but not due to overheating. It was always losing coolant. Fortunately our TM Magna didn't have a cracked block, but it did have a corroded welsh plug.

That is why I have a watchdog. At least it monitors all the time. I do not use the watchdog indication as a monitor because I know it is in the wrong place - thanks Aussie-Dan, I will look at repositioning it. I bought the Scangauge primarily to monitor the engine boost, and it monitors the cooling water temp qute well - as long as there is water there to monitor...

[gemster]

Dumb question....Do these work on a 97 NL?.. I was told they only work on a post 2000 model, but my source could be wrong.. not the first time....I would like something along these lines and a bit more protection... Any suggestions?...

Gemster...

[GHendo]

Dumb question....Do these work on a 97 NL?.. I was told they only work on a post 2000 model, but my source could be wrong.. not the first time....I would like something along these lines and a bit more protection... Any suggestions?...

Gemster...

The Engine Watchdog would certainly work on your NL – all it needs is 12 volts and the temperature sensor (which is on the end of a wire) bolting to the engine block, or wherever you decide to bolt it.

The units you are probably thinking about are the analyser / scan tools that connect to the OBD2 port on the vehicle. Only later model vehicles have this port.

Geoff

[erad]

Gemster: I had my watchdog working on my 2000 model 3.5L NL Pajero. I fitted the thermocouple on the front bolt of the intake manifold. Watchdog themselves recommend fitting it to the thermostat housing bolts, because it gives a more accurate picture of Cooling Water Temperature, but in my NL, the thermostat housing was well removed from the engine block or the cylinder heads, so I fitted it ti the head. I now have the thermocouple fitted to the thermostat housing bolt, and as mentioned above, it doesn't give a true reading as to what ithe engine temperature is. I have the alarm level set fairly low, and it has screamed at me a few times due to the heat soak effect when I shut the engine down on a hot day, but nowhere nearly as much as it used to in my old NL.

[gemster]

Thanks Guys... So I gather this is what we are talking about... as an example...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ENGINE-WATCHDOG-TM1-NEW-MODEL-TEMPERATURE-SENSOR-GAUGE-LOW-COOLANT-ALARM-/132251636888?hash=item1ecacfd498:g:BrQAAOSwECZUrEFk

I don't mind spending a few $$ on something like this.. and this one has an 'Oil' Feature too..
But, Being Fussy Me, I would prefer Something with a oil pressure read-out as 'These' only tell me 'Low Oil'. or if I can't find one with that Feature, then I suppose I could fit a better oil pressure gauge...... The search continues..

Gemster...

[erad]

"only tell me 'Low Oil'. or if I can't find one with that Feature, then I suppose I could fit a better oil pressure gauge...... The search continues.."

Unless you have a specific oil level gauge, you cannot monitor the oil level remotely. Oil pressure - yes - but level, no. It is very rare for oil pressure to fail (unless you run out of oil). Even then, the oil pressure doesn't mean much. Basically, if you have pressure, it means that oil is circulating thoughout the engine. Oil is supplied to the bearings and a thin wedge of oil builds up under the wearing surface. The pressures inside this wedge is thousands of psi. The oil pump is merely supplying oil directly to the bearings. Low oil pressure could mean that one bearing is more sloppy than the others and it steals all the oil, or it could mean that the oil is too thin. Either way, it has nothing to do with oil level.

The oil function on the watchdog is simply monitoring the oil pressure switch - if the light comes on, so does the alarm. It can also be used to monitor the level of fuel in a tank on a stationary pump for example. Again, you need a level switch, not a pressure switch.

For what it is worth, I cannot remember the last car I had which had an oil pressure gauge fitted as standard, and none of them ever failed due to lack of oil pressure. Most cars do not have oil pressure gauges these days. Same with voltmeters and ampmeters.

[gemster]

Silly Me erad, That's what I meant to Say. Don't think I have seen an oil level Gauge before either...

I noticed that with the Watchdog you can have one for your Transmission too... I like that idea.. Thanks for your help... Think I might get one for my Birthday soon...

Gemster....