Gauge Pod?

[Venom_5]

do you guys think its worth getting these:







idk which three i would want, but i think those would be the best ... my car is stock except the intake, remember that

idk ... i feel insecure about my AFR, Temp, and Volts .... but idk how hard of an install this would be and if it would be worth my money ... i can transfer it to my next car, of course, so it wouldnt be lost if i sell the camry

i need a 2nd opinion from you guys!

[bigbird]

guages should never be looked at as somthing that looks cool(even though they do). i think its a good idea to know what going on in the engine especially on cars as old as ours.

i like that pod man

here are s couple others that i found when lookin for mine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUTOM...spagenameZWDVW
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-99...spagenameZWDVW
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUTOM...spagenameZWDVW

these are nice if ya only want 2 guages
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/APC-U...spagenameZWDVW

[CamNub]

Kind of pointless imo. Yes, it's nice to know how your car is running, but is it nice enough to warrant 200+ dollars?

[renmike]

To me the three most important that I would get would be water temp, oil pressure and oil temp (the first two being the most important. I hate idiot lights on the dash, and i also like ot know the actual number that something is measuring at)

[Eye8Pussies]

the narrowband a/f is never a bad idea as an alternative to an expensive wide-band, as it does give you a general idea of what's going on and if anything is wrong with your a/f

the volt-meter is a good idea as well if you have a big system and want to keep an eye on your battery. but if you don't run a system, then it's really a waste of money.

as for the water temp....pretty much useless and redundant on a stock car, as the stock coolant temp gauge will suffice.

an oil temp gauge would be much more useful in its place.

[Venom_5]

^ ive heard that the temp gauge in our instrument cluster, much like all toyotas, has a dead spot and wont really move until your engine is WAY overheated ...

tbh, i dont understand the difference between what Water Temp and Oil Temp tell you

for the AFR, i might be able to afford the AEM Wideband .... idk much about these things, so i was hoping you would reply King ^_^

and for the Volts, im just iffy about my system because the headlights dim when i roll down the windows and it does little funny things like that

[bigbird]

the headlights dimming is prolly jsut some bad wiring somewhere. check ur grounds and all that good stuff jsut to be sure. my lights dim a little when i roll mine down to but not enough for me to worry about, idk how bad urs are though.

i definatly agree with king about the water temp on a stock engine, kinda pointless as long as the factoey system is working. i would stick with oil temp, volts, and a/f if u want that third.

some poeple use both oil temp and water temp to give them a more specific real time look at whats going on. i had both in my El Camino and needed it. my oil temp would be ok if my pressure was right, but sometimes the engine was still riunning hot so the water temp let me know it may and was a problem with the cooling system. my .02 cents.

[Eye8Pussies]

a water temp gauge is never a bad idea, that's for sure...but until you get into some serious engine work, the stock temp gauge should be fine. And I haven't heard of a specific dead spot on the toyota coolant temp, but on the couple of times when I actually had problems with my cooling system, it reacted as it should have.

on that particular note as well though, if you are worried about your water temp and how it effects your engine heat (which is basically designed to regulate), your best bet is to get an oil temp gauge- that way, you'll know what temps your car should rugularly run at, and if it goes above that temp then it usually means your cooling system is not up to par/busted.

the aem wideband is about $400 or so and you'll need to find a shop/person to weld in a pre-cat bung for the sensor. IF you know somebody who is good at welding, no problem. otherwise, I paid about 50bucks for my work (in Toronto).

as bigbird said though, the lights dim on all the gen3s when it comes to rolling down/up the windows, but as long as it's not excessive, then it's no worries.

to really solve that problem, you'd need a bigger alternator.

I hope that helps

[xet]

worthless and lame putting them on a stock car imo

[CamryPunk]

Unless your car is heavily modified, save your money get and some performance parts on your car. THEN you will be able to do get gauges on your ride.

Even on my WRX, the only gauge I have is a boost gauge. Until I start doing some heavy track with my car, I'm not going to get any more gauges.

[DAMON]

I had a volt, oil presslure and oil temp gauge in my gen 3... just for rice though Those are probably the easiest ones to install on a 5sfe because you can just tee off the stock oil pressure switch on the front of the block and it is super easy to get to... but like they said, you dont really need gauges on a stock engine. I will admit though, Ive been there before, so if it makes you happy then go for it...

[Eye8Pussies]

I have to disagree with yukio on this one...

it's ALWAYS a good idea to have more eyes on the way your car is running. In my opinion, every car should come with all the gauges that we are talking about anyway.


The gauges that your are asking about are definately within bounds of being reasonable even for a mostly stock car (since many stock cars come with them anyway). You just may want to hide them though....otherwise other people may want to race your car....or the cops may want to pull you over....

even to this day, I have a switch to turn off all my gauges to avoid extra attention (as though my car doesn't attract enough attention as it is :p )

[Venom_5]

thats part of the problem ... i would get a pillar pod, but then i look like im racing - which im not

and there isnt a good place to put a flat pod, since the dashboard is so curvy

i wonder if i can put them under my head unit or something ... but that gets into a lot of dremel and custom work, and im trying not to ruin anything incase i sell the car

anyone have any ideas about some subtle location?

[CamNub]

It's kind of a waste of money imo.

The only gauge I would get is a boost gauge because the stock one kind of sucks for my car. Once you get into some serious tuning, it's mandatory to have some of the gauges, but for a stock car, what's the point?

What would you be so afraid of that you need gauges?

[Venom_5]

obviously you didnt read

point of Voltage gauge? i think my voltage is dropping upon various actions

point of Water Temp Gauge [or Oil Temp]? OEM gauges are known to have a dead zone and i would like a more accurate reading because its been 105*F+ this month and idk if im overheating or if everything is just hot from the weather

point of AFR Gauge? its fun, and the pod holds 3 gauges so u gotta fill it with something!