engine monitoring guages

helen&tony · Post by **helen&tony** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 12:53 pm

Hi
Having seen many posts on cooling problems, over- hot engines, etc. I’ve decided to fit water temperature and oil pressure gauges. Does anyone know of any firm making appropriate “T” pieces to fit, and where best to fit them? Also, as we are told that temperatures here can go down as low as minus 25Deg. C , I’m going to replace all the hoses before winter. I’ve looked on several suppliers websites, and seen a given number of hoses. As I intend to replace the lot, are there any “out of the way” hoses that I should pay attention to and maybe not listed , for instance on Minis, there used to be a by- pass hose between the head and the block which was often ignored? I guess that the temperatures mentioned by our friends are not exaggerated, as antifreeze capable of minus 40Deg. C is on sale in the garages. Any suggestions for monitoring gauges would be welcome.
Many thanks in anticipation of replies
Cheers
Helen

paul9 · Post by **paul9** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:13 pm

there is aguy who has developed an alarm for the toyota which suffer the same typt of problems as bongos ,concerning the temp gauge and cooling system.
i have asked to take a look on here and maybe develop an alarm for these vehicles,heres a link to the type of alarm i am talikng about.
http://www.townace.com/ie/ietemga2.htm

RobnKathryn · Post by **RobnKathryn** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 2:15 pm

Hi Helen and Tony

There is an off the shelf solution (although the shelf is in Australia), similar to the Townace item but a bit more elaborate, obtainable via ebay (item no. 140143749891) which is probably the easiest way to monitor engine temperature (rather than water temperature). One of these coupled with the now famous Callow coolant loss alarm would provide good peace of mind. A fairly expensive combination but which, in my opinion, does more to provide advance warning of possible coolant issues than a temp guage alone. Don't know anything about oil pressure guage fitting I'm afraid.

Rob

paul9 · Post by **paul9** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 3:01 pm

check this thread,the guy i mentioned has just arrived

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... c&start=15

haydn callow · Post by **haydn callow** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 3:29 pm

I have a engine temp guage and a coolant loss alarm fitted to my bongo.
The coolant loss alarm will warn you (in almost all cases) before your temp guage starts to rise. At normal running temp (90/95 degrees). If you suffer a burst hose/waterpump failure or whatever the coolant alarm will go off before the temp starts to rise. The temp alarm won't go off untill a lot of coolant has been lost and the temp QUICKLY rises. However if for some reason the engine temp starts to rise without coolant loss then PROVIDING the temp sensor is in the right place at the right time this will give you warning as long as you notice it doing so.
If you do get a Temp guage the one from Oz is better (in my opinon) then a plain guage co's it gives a audible alarm and you can set the temp you want it to go off at to suit your car and the way you drive it. (mine is set for 100 degrees) you can also connect this alarm to give a low oil pressure warning.
For what it's worth I would fit a coolant loss alarm first and if funds allow a temp guage.
PM me if you need any more info on the coolant loss alarm.
The coolant loss alarm also confirms your coolant level is o.k. every time you start up.

helen&tony · Post by **helen&tony** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:00 pm

Hi
Thanks for the replies…..advice noted re coolant alarm and temp. warning device. I’ll P.M. you tomorrow, Haydn…we’ve just been driving around all day on errands, and we’ve got friends coming over this evening….we’re already totally “wiped”. I’m still interested in getting a “T” piece to fit the oil warning light sender so that I may fit an oil gauge, as the warning light only serves to let you know that you have just “run” your bearings if it comes on whilst driving , as they only switch at a few pounds pressure….not much help!!! It’s probably my paranoia having seen a few postings on engine problems, and the fact that having been a total “mini” fan years ago, I have had literally dozens of minis all of which have been modified, and one “Cooper S” producing 100bhp at the wheels…as tested on a dyno. All of these motors were fully instrumented, as tuned engines need constant monitoring, and it’s fascinating to read how the motor is “working” as you drive. Today, being much more sedate, and driving more modern cars, the necessity doesn’t seem to arise, but seeing some of the posts, alarm bells have been ringing.
Many thanks once again
Helen

corblimey · Post by **corblimey** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:10 pm

Interesting reading all these temp and coolant monitoring threads.

If you wish to monitor engine temp accurately it would appear that the concensus is that you need to monitor it in several locations at once.

Anyone got any idea how many and where they'd need to be placed to cover all bases?

haydn callow · Post by **haydn callow** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:26 pm

Bit out of my depth here but I would guess 3 or 4 evenly spread out along the cylnder head. I have been told that you can get very local "hotspots" if you get a air lock or a piston starts to "pick up" One sensor only could I think be unawear of this till it's to late.

corblimey · Post by **corblimey** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:30 pm

I keep thinking it may be a neat idea to build a monitoring system that is capable of taking data from various/multiple sensors e.g. multiple temp sensors and coolant level (and anything else that takes our fancy).

What do you think?

helen&tony · Post by **helen&tony** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 9:30 am

Sounds like a good idea to me, as the Bongo was obviously designed for Japanese climate alone, being a non- export model, and I am not aware of the Japanese temperature variations, and what the Bongo could realistically cope with abroad….for instance we have had temperatures over here of 43Deg. C in the shade. The Bongo obviously has cooling issues from the number of fans it has to stop it overheating, so I guess that keeping an eye on the engine would be imperative, especially as a lot of the Bongos exported have a bit of mileage on the clock.
Helen