Interesting point about your temp gauge

Dave Mason · Post by **Dave Mason** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:38 pm

francophile1947 wrote:Hi Dave
Avatar much too big - the avatar police will be after you
See http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... hp?t=12640

Thanks John. You're quick! As soon as I did it I saw it was oversize and you spotted it in the few seconds that it took me to take it off. The reference you gave was helpful though.

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:41 pm

Well done Dave - I just happened to be browsing at the time - the avatar police are usually much quicker

(but you do get a pretty police car as a new avatar

)

waycar8 · Post by **waycar8** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:58 pm

Now that the alarm is up and running and on sale, just a quick question for you Dave.

What are the various settings for?, i take it they are for when the alarm goes off at certain temperature points? if so what kind of temperature guide are each of the numbers?

Cheers Wayne.

vanvliet · Post by **vanvliet** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:06 pm

[quote="mikeonb4c"]Dave Mason. Of course. He used to be in Traffic way back when.

I liked his version of the Winwood song 'pearly queen'

Ordered a Mason alarm today

brorabongo · Post by **brorabongo** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:29 pm

If I were to fit a thermometer where would be the best place (and i don't mean anywhere that would give a reading of 37 degrees celsius.

), so that it would correspond to the exhisting gauge readings?

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:31 pm

Have to look it up in the archives as cant remember it vanv.

Keep us posted on the Mason alarm - I'm tempted myself.

Finally got some quality time and I'm off this week working on the Bongo. Do you still want pics of seatbelts?

Mike

vanvliet · Post by **vanvliet** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:41 pm

OK - will keep you informed about the Mason Alarm

Manged to get a seatbelt extender - pics would be of interest.
Also check out the Youngbloods 'Darkness Darkness' - classic Gibson guitar solo - sounds great even today

daveblueozzie · Post by **daveblueozzie** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:14 pm

ive ordered one myself today £27 quid ,not a bad price going off what everyone says about its quality

,if it comes in time will bring to the meet at silverdale

,maybe a mason alarm course in fitting

.(hope someone is teckie enough)

vanvliet · Post by **vanvliet** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:24 pm

A while ago i remember reading a post about a bloke who was selling new radiators on ebay His scarey sales pitch was that if the temp gauge was reading 11.0'clock then the rad was likely to be blocked and should be replaced after which the temp gauge would read 10.45
Just wondered how this related to the recent findings about how the temp gauge actually works in practice

papa joe · Post by **papa joe** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:24 pm

Nice one Dave and every one that's put work into this product

will order one up as soon as funds have recovered a little !!

papa joe

Dave Mason · Post by **Dave Mason** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:15 pm

waycar8 wrote:Now that the alarm is up and running and on sale, just a quick question for you Dave.

What are the various settings for?, i take it they are for when the alarm goes off at certain temperature points? if so what kind of temperature guide are each of the numbers?
Cheers Wayne.

Quick question, slow answer ...

A Mason alarm has one adjustment, a small blue knob which has a flat on one side so that most people can turn it with finger and thumb, some might prefer a small screwdriver. A yellow dot on the knob points to a scale around the knob marked 1 - 8 and "off" where 9 would be.

You use this knob to determine when the audible alarm will sound. Move it further to the right, towards 8, and the temp gauge will have to go further to the right before it sounds. You soon find a setting where it will only go off if you really stress the engine a lot. After that you hardly need to touch the device, tuck it away somewhere.

You can make comparisons between same-model cars. IF most owners find a setting of 4 satisfactory but one finds they need to use 6, then probably their engine is getting hotter - or it may have a non-standard component in the gauge/sensor system. At this stage only a handful have been fitted to Bongos (I run a Townace) and it will be a few weeks before a pattern emerges - presumably on this forum. I was asked to make the alarms - its up to Bongo owners to figure out how to interpret the outcome.

The other feature of the "alarm" is quite separate - it modifies the way that the gauge reads. Instead of going up to somewhere near the middle and then "sticking", it will carry on going up into the right-hand half of the gauge. This can be a bit scary at first but the engine is not getting any hotter, it's just that you can watch the temperature variations that previously were hidden.

A temperature guide? It's possible. I did it earlier this year for Estimas. One owner supplied me a spare temp gauge instrument, another supplied a couple of spare sensors that go with the gauge, taken from scrap heads. By cooking up the sensors in an oil bath, measuring temperature and seeing what the gauge does exactly I was able to calibrate it when the Mason alarm is fitted. It's a lot of work and is there a point? Does anyone know what the temperature of the sensor SHOULD be? In my opinion making qualitative comparisons is sufficient.

My aim is to provide something which brings a lot of benefit with very little work. To fit a Mason alarm you just have to connect three wires to terminal screws on the back of the instrument panel - that's all. No oily bits. So I never really wanted to be testing sensors in a tin of hot oil!

See http://www.townace.plus.com/ie/ietemga2.htm

waycar8 · Post by **waycar8** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:24 pm

Thanks for the clarification

.

Regards Wayne.

John the sparky · Post by **John the sparky** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:40 pm

My mason alarm turned up on time, and again seems lovely (especially when it will not be seen after a few weeks.

I had to wait for my bongo to fit it, but fitted it tonight with the 626 speedo, it took about 1 minute longer and maybe 10 in total...

so I am probably more interested than most in the trend value.

John

waycar8 · Post by **waycar8** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:43 pm

Mine arrived today, fitted it, havent been round for a drive to test it yet as........

When i put the key in the ignition and turn it, theres a bip from the back of the clocks

, checked that i had wired it up correctlyand all is ok?, anyone elses now has a annoying bip when your turn the key?

Anyone know why its now doing this or have i knocked sumat?

Dave Mason · Post by **Dave Mason** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:54 pm

Wayne: There should be a self-test bip from the Mason alarm when you turn the key. I expect that's it. Once you know what it is most owners find it re-assuring rather than annoying.

Bongo Mason alarms are currently available on http://www.townace.plus.com/ie/ietemga2.htm but I'm having difficulty making them fast enough!