Fitting a turbo boost gauge?

[stuntman]

Hello again everyone, can anyone tell me the best way to fit a turbo boost gauge to my 200 tdi disco?

I'll be strating to make a gauge panel for the roof in the near future and I'll be putting in, Oil temp, Oil pressure, Voltmeter, Ammeter, Ambient temp gauge, Possible an Econometer if I can adapt the one I have in the garage, I'm just a bit uncertain as to where the boost gauge would go!

Thanks in advance

Andi

[Disco Matt]

I wouldn't mind knowing this either - plus does anyone make a sensible gauge for a Disco? I've had a nose through the Demon Tweeks catalogue but they all seem to be aimed at vehicles using rather higher pressures!

[extreme90]

ive got one in my 90
ive got the pipe plumbed in at the inlet manifold so i get a true inlet pressure, not a false pressure from down at the turbo
also, my guage is a TIM unit that goes upto 2bar pressure ( i needed a high pressure one as i run way over a bar of boost )
cos me 35 quid from halfrauds

dan

[Bulli]

they come with half decent instructions ...thankfully lol though a roof pod might be a long run as its a copper pipe on all the ones ive seen ;)

[Sharpshooter]

I Have one fitted on mine. I have a 200tdi with Full width Allisport intercooler, ITG air filter and the mods as specified by Allisport. Mine is from Ebay. It was £20. Goes up to 2 bar. Although they only recommend going to 16psi which is just over 1 bar (14PSi). Mines been tested and is just over 150BHP.  :twisted: I have mine plumbed in on the turbo actuator. I have spoken to lots of people, and ive been told this is fine.  :P

Although im probably completely wrong, and what i say is complete rubbish.  :roll:

But Allisport siad mines fine. So i guess they know what they are on about.  :D

[chris.hunt22]

Just done mine, its a TIM one that goes up to 2 bar, had it on my last Disco but plumbed it as is recommended in the Haynes manual on the flexi bit near the actuator, problem was not even the best cable ties would stop the pipes from blowing off!!  I have put it this time into the inlet plenum/manifold, they come with a brass tapped coupling, just drill and tap into the manifold, put some threadlock on and away you go, I mounted mine in a 'pod' type holder on the dash to the right of the clocks (nowt else there anyway!!)

[Range Rover Blues]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270187205834&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=017

I fitted one of these, it goes up to 1.5 bar and it's a bit better made than the first one I bought (it reads zero which helps).  I plumbed it into the turbo tapping which the fuel pump and waste gate go into, I know the boost at the manifoild can be lower but I'm as interested int he boost that the fuel pump is seeing as a boost guage will work as an econometer too.

Which brings me to ask, you have an econometer? what does it do? if it's from a petrol engine then it's useless on your TDi, but as I said, the boost guage will give you an idea of when you are driving "sensibly", mine cruises at about half a bar boost, even in a headwind.

[Evilgoat]

Econometers normal work from intake pressure drop, higher the drop the more air the engine is taking in and thus more fuel its burning.

Only theres only really ever positive pressure at the manifold of most turbo engines, I would have thought that would apply to LR engines.

What might be fun, is that it *should* be possible to rip a trip comouter out of something like an older A-E reg Carlton or Senator, or anything of that age and pop that in as they used their own sensors, not the ECUs sensors like more modern ones. IIRC The A reg Senators it was the same shame and size as the old Leyland clocks too, such as the ones in a disco :)

[Ja1983]

there are already several indications of economy:

1) - fuel guage & odometer - the higher the number on the odometer, when the fuel guage gets low, the more economical your drving! (reset it when you fill up!)

2) - brake discs - heavy braking is a big fuel eater... basically you`ve put the fuel in, converted it to energy, then braking hard and late taks away all that energy. Odd coloured, cracked, heavily worn (over short time) etc are signs of hard braking

3) - odd tyre wear - the way a tyre wears is a good indication to the way the vehicle is been driven, "feathering" of the edges indicates that a tyre has been pushed harder than it should be in a particular direction - also could be tracking out, which IIRC 2degrees can make a 5% fuel difference?!


4) - rev counter - optimum time to change in a derv is around 2k rpm, this is where most torque occurs, so revving beyond in theory isnt that efficient (but it makes journey times shorter!)

5) - the amount of times you visit a fuel station - if its more than once a day for more than £10 worth, your spanking it too much :lol:

6) - etc etc....

[Range Rover Blues]

Econometers normal work from intake pressure drop, higher the drop the more air the engine is taking in and thus more fuel its burning.

Only theres only really ever positive pressure at the manifold of most turbo engines, I would have thought that would apply to LR engines.

Not strictly true.  An econometer is just a posh word for a vacuum guage (assuming it's not some electricery but a plain simple guage) that as you say indicates inlet manifold vacuum. 
The higher the vacuum though, the more economical!  This is because of how power is controlled on a petrol engine, the amount of fuel is regulated by the throttle, which does just that, it strangles the engine.  SO the higher the vacuum, the smaller the amount of air/fuel being drawn in for a given speed.  As the loud pedal goes down the throttle opens and the vacuum is reduced.

I had an econometer on my old Escort MkII with 2V Webber.  When you opened the second vent the guage went off the scale and the needle went to rest on the stop pin.  It was very uneconomical lilke that :roll:

Now on a Diesel, all but the latest engines don't have a throttle at all.  Those that do have one for emissions purposes.  The power is controlled by varying the air/fuel mix, controlling only the amount of fuel that's added.

So on a normally aspirated Diesel you should only ever see a tiny amount of vacuum, caused by the pipes and the air filter.

On a Turbo you will see the same tiny vacuum, replaced by the boost as the turbo comes in.  mine seems to be more related to throttle position than engine speed, but I guess that as it's driven by the expanding gas this is only to be expected.  It therefore tells me how hard I'm driving the engine.


Now on a petrol turbo car you will see both vacuum, though a little lower than perhaps in a N/A car, and boost.  That's why the boost guages you buy over the counter have at least 1/2 bar vacuum and 1 1/2 bar boost scales.