Gauge issues.

[Marv D]

Just a mention here and wondering if I'm just the lucky one getting the bottom of the barrell or what.
I am seeing more and MORE of the aftermarket gauges that are CRAPola and horribly innacurate. The electric gauges more often than the mechanical. But even a few mechanical Autometer Sport Comp seems to be having some 'quiality issues' . I guess that's what you get when you get you have "American Made" (with crap tiawanees parts???)
I don't know what the issue is but AutoGauge, and Autometer seem to be in the same basket with inaccuracies out of the box. I put a new SportComp mechanical temp gauge in the 66 that freeze until the motor hits ~190+ . QUITE USELESS when I am not running a thermostat now that it is a track toy and less and less on the street.

Put a pillarpod of Autometer electric gauges in my 94 4x4,, the volt meter is over 1 volt high (checked with a good multimeter) and the temp gauge always reads 15-20° lower than the 190° thermostat. The sensor is in the iron HEAD so that's total BS and should be higher than the thermostat.

Am I the only one seeing problems with gauges (reguardless of brand)

[Super73]

Marv,

I believe my laptop not that I buy a lot of gauges, but the set in the truck seem to be right. My auto meter water temp does read 5-10* hotter than what my laptop tells me the factory sending unit sees, but the factory one is front drivers side of the head and auto meter one is passenger rear tucked way back by the firewall. There very well could be a difference just purely on airflow to the head.
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[vin63]

Yep, over the years, I've noticed that the gauges have steadily seen a quality and accuracy decline. I started using more electronic gauges about 15 years ago after a few oil and glycerin inside the cockpit issues with oil and fuel pressure gauge failures...and even then, I just kind of used them as a relative reference. The only one I couldn't convert to electronic was my brake/stage gauge and I had brake fluid running down my steering column from day one...ugh (swapped out that guage three times and just gave up). I really haven't found an alternative without going to a Racepaksystem as all of the gauges I've tried have been about the same. These days, I end up swapping out sending units every couple of years...total PITA!

Even the $600 Autometer tachometer in my fuel altered reads between 100-500 RPMs lower than the timing light...but, I can't afford to replace it.

[Marv D]

Oh yeah Thats another one. The autometer shift light. Dedenber has a 'test' function that you can dummy a rpm signal up to test different systems, etc. The Autometer shiftlight with pills for it's activation, HA,, close but for what that crap posts you expect more than 'close' .

[bigguy69]

My autometer shift light wont stay set.

[kevin9574]

have several autometer tachs that read below what the logger records. Ones off by 700+rpm

[Marv D]

WOW,, if you were pushing it and shifting at like 7500... a little 700rpm error could mean disaster!!!

And I thought I was just getting old and un-observant. I shift by RPM through the CC-3 for a 7400 shift. I have a 7k pill in the Autometer shift light, and NEVER See it even flash. Maybe it really ISN'T (makes the old fart feel better LOL)

[Marv D]

Autometer (sports Comp) is as much the 'industry standard' of sportsman racers s Microsoft is to computers.

Aparently it's fallen to the same path of the rest of the CRAP we buy these days. IS there an alternative?

[kevin9574]

Originally Posted by Marv D

WOW,, if you were pushing it and shifting at like 7500... a little 700rpm error could mean disaster!!!

And I thought I was just getting old and un-observant. I shift by RPM through the CC-3 for a 7400 shift. I have a 7k pill in the Autometer shift light, and NEVER See it even flash. Maybe it really ISN'T (makes the old fart feel better LOL)

I hear ya! Blamed it on the driver forever (pilled 1000rpm over shift point) cause he kept hittin the limiter on the 1-2 shift LOL. We fire the shift light off the msd now

[hotrod 80]

Originally Posted by Marv D

Autometer (sports Comp) is as much the 'industry standard' of sportsman racers s Microsoft is to computers.

Aparently it's fallen to the same path of the rest of the CRAP we buy these days. IS there an alternative?

My autometer tach with shift light is for service only . The laptop and MSD window switch for my shiftnoid setup both trigger off the same signal and my tach id off or late by 600 or so . Both the MSD and the laptop match . I set the shift and rev limit in the box and usually cover the tach with a black wash cloth . Thought about taking it out . one less distraction .

[kevin9574]

Originally Posted by hotrod 80

My autometer tach with shift light is for service only . The laptop and MSD window switch for my shiftnoid setup both trigger off the same signal and my tach id off or late by 600 or so . Both the MSD and the laptop match . I set the shift and rev limit in the box and usually cover the tach with a black wash cloth . Thought about taking it out . one less distraction .

Same here. The only reason we have a tach in there is so he can footbrake it in the street class when he wants to hurts feelings. LOL