Guys,


Just thought I'd share a pic of my SPA gauge setup. The top gauge is for Boost/EGT. The bottom gauge is for Lift Pump Pressure and or vacuum/Intake Air Temp. The gauges have a stored memory for peak data and alarm presets for high/low limits. They emit a red light when either of the limits are reached. They are also configurable just by changing the sending unit, to monitor any number of engine parameters. The backlighting can be green or red and is adjustable for brightness. Thanks to John Kennedy for his assistance in purchasing and selection of the guages.


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/1B7_Best1_SPA.JPG

You know I've been half tempted to switch considering that they are dual purpose gauges and could opt out for many readings ....


I would luv to add Fuel Pressure and not lose what I monitor now ....


EGT,Boost and T-sump temp .... Can you get a Pressure Temp combo ?? Or would I have to go three gauge ??


Also where have you gotten the best price from ?? Where ever I have looked the price has shy ed me away ....


Where's the day pic are the easy to read unlit??





Mac

It looks like the bottom one is a pressure/temp combo. At least that is what it says. http://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif

A list of all their combo's: http://www.spatechnique.com/store.asp?CategoryID=21&Category=Instrumentation&S ubCategory=Dual%20Gauges&SubSubCategory=Black%20Fa ce%20Black%20Bezel&CustID=717536579


You can get a temp/pressure gauge, about half way down. I have a simlar setup, but my second gauge is monitors oil temp and fuel pressure. I will probably be purchasing a third one to monitor nitrous pressure and fuel pressure at a different position.


All purchased from JK. Don't know who's got the best price, but John treated me well and was as cheap as the couple places I had found them... Depending on what combo you buy, expect $200-$300 per gauge. Given they replace two gauges, I think they're about as cheap as buying two.


Readout in the day couldn't be any better. It's like looking at a digital clock. I have no problem reading the guages even under direct sunlight. I really like the flash warning (though I never pay attention). I have mine out right now working on the new pillar so I can't get you any pictures.

I have a set of SPA dual gauges I bought a little over a year ago. My experience with them may be a bit unusual, but their reliability has been less than stellar. I installed a DG211, EGT – Boost gauge, and DG210, temp – temp gauge, during the early part of June 2003. The sending unit for the boost gauge died in August and I experienced an eight-week turn around on the gauge through the dealer. The returned sending unit had been repaired and it was not serviceable. I contacted SPA direct and they replaced the repaired sending unit with a new one – another delay. In September, the EGT gauge stopped working and I called SPA for technical assistance. They advised it was probably the thermocouple and sent me a new one. The new thermocouple wasn’t the problem and during the next eight months we swapped individual parts by mail until I had replaced the thermocouple, the logic unit, the wiring harness and the gauge itself. The gauge was still dead after replacing all of the individual parts. I called early last month to see if there was any possibility that the replacement thermocouple could have been defective out of the box. They agreed it was a possibility and sent another thermocouple. Walla, the unit worked with the new thermocouple installed. I can’t tell you how happy I was to get the EGT gauge working again!

Two days later, the backlight failed on the dual temp gauge. I called SPA and they replaced the gauge – turn around time was less than seven days. Both gauges are currently working at this time, but I don’t have much confidence they will last. Time will tell!

Wow. That is very unfortunate. We had a customer send a face back because of a lighting issue, but thats it. They have been very reliable.

Currently have a new DG211 sitting on my desk awaiting install. It is going to replace the 2 year old unit in my truck. The backlight has failed and the boost has become erratic. The backlight is repairable(cracked solder joints on the circuit board) and the boost sensor cable connectors appear to be intermittent. It is easier for me to replace than to troubleshoot right now, and it leaves me with spare parts.


If these were Broadcast or Medical cable assemblies we would consider them a disposable producthttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

I've had my DG-211 for about 2 1/2 years. Have had to have the boost sender unit replaced not long after I got it. The boost was reading negative even after I would zero it at idle. It would work correctly for a few miles, then I would look at it and it would be reading negative agian. The new sender unit didn't fix the problem. I contacted SPA and they asked if the sender unit was grounded. Which I have it "T" into my wastegate line, so I didn't think it was. I ran a copper wire from the sender unit to a grounding block on the truck which now it is grounded but not fix the negative pressure reading. So I have lived with it for quite some time. I have the Attidue which gives me my boost reading now. But still makes me mad that i drop $300+ and it doesn't work right.


As a matter of fact, I just emailed SPA 2 weeks ago to ask about this problems again and still haven't recieved and correspondance back.


My EGT side seems funny too. Do your guys' gage read 33.3 degrees when the engine is off and the ignition is on? Seems to me that it should read whatever the air temp is outside if the engine is cold. But seems to read ok when the engine is running.

I have the dg211 guage too.


After the egt part stopped reading corectly every time it rained Spa sent me a new thermocouple, where the converter is inside the cab and it works fine now.


About a month after that the backlight burned out, they said they were having troubles with them and sent out a new guage a week later.


Replaced the guage, and about a week after that the new guage light burns out too.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Angry.gif


Waited about a month until they had a new shipment in and finally replaced the guage again. Now the back light has been working ok for about 2 months now.


Now my boost guage will get wacky some times on full throttle runs.


460 lbs of boost any one?


Must be some awfully good head gaskets to hold that much pressure in http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif


I never notice it reading that much but when I push the memory recall button that's what it says sometimes.


Of course now the little snaps that hold the guage pod overlay have chipped off the paint that was applied to them, and I managed to break one of them from taking the pod on and off the pillar so many times http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Angry.gif


And the EGT guage is very sensitive. Just cruising around I will see 700-1000 deg no problem. And on hard acceleration the guage will read up to 1700 deg.That's with the probe mounted pre-turbo.


Ok I'm done http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Rock On.gif Diesel Dragon http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cool.gif


P.S. I think I may be going with the Autometer Sport Comp guages if the 3 guage replacement pillar is made. Always had Autometer's in the past and never had any problem's.

Wow, what a timely revival of this post. My Boost/EGT gauge lost it's back light today on the drive to work.


I thought these were the best. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cry.gif

Trippin,


As a precaution try not to wiggle the connector on the back of the gauge with a side to side motion. Only remove and insert straight in & out. I think that the large connector is part of the problem. There are a lot of options out there in micro-connectors that they could be using for an interconnect instead of what's on the gauge now.


When I get my truck back from Steve I will disect the gauge and try and come up with a fix.


I can't believe they're still having problems with the backlightinghttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif

Hmm... I just got done sending in my boost/egt gauge for the no backlight problem as well. Turnaround was about seven days and they took care of it no questions asked. I talked to Patrick and he said it was a known problem that was supposed to have been corrected in the new gauge I just received. Haven't put it back in yet so we'll see.

The gauge in question came from a distributor not from SPA direct, so maybe it was old stock.