Thread: Coolant Temp and Low alarm

Originally Posted by AK83

Nah! the 1Gauge(google it) .. and I have a thread of my setup in my D1.
Has 6 gauges displayed on a small LCD screen, 7 gauges if you have a dual battery and get that option.

One thing I hate is audible alarms! Our trucks have alarms for everything and they drive me insane(logging into truck, park brake, lights, no lights .. you name it and it sounds bings/bongs/horns/and everything in between.

This 1Gauge thingie has a visual alarm that I like. My screen is white on blue(blue background light, white font. You setup max or minimum limits to whatever sensor you've installed, and when the limit is reached, the gauge display for that sensor inverts the colours.
You don't really have to look at the gauge to see it, it's easily seen from your periphery vision.
eg. I have my coolant temp max limit set to 95. The small section of LCD that shows that sensor reading changes from white on blue, to blue on white .. the white box is the visual cue that something 'has happened'
The control box uses relays too, so you can setup two external devices to manage some other 'equipment' when a pre determined threshold has been reached.
eg. again, say coolant level hits 95, and that display inverts itself(visual warning) .. it can also run something like a relay for a thermo fan, or whatever other thing you prefer.
it also has two outputs to run separate warning lights mounted somewhere obvious as well(two red lights in chrome bezels are supplied if they're wanted .. I didn't install mine).

Kit sounds expensive at a bit over $500, but considering it comes with all the sensors you need .. it's actually quite cheap. The only additional expense is that you need whatever adapter fittings to fit the sensors types you choose to fit.

I think it was Don that said the dash temp gauge shows a steady reading at 45°C or 110°C .. and can basically confirm that, but on my D1, I get just below the mid way point on the dash gauge, when coolant temp hits 55°C and it hadn't moved even when the coolant gauge showed 117°C a few days back!
Like I said, the only time I've seen my temp gauge move was about 15mins into my drive to work one weekend, just after I thought I bled the coolant correctly(obviously wrong on that front). I was on a freeway about 10mins from a servo 15mins from work).
Coolant gauge only showed about 95°C(normal operating temp is about 80-83). Coolant gauge showed a max 98 in the 15mins to work. Had it gone above 100 I'd have stopped in at the servo to sort it.
I bled it again after I finished my shift(still got it wrong, but it didn't heat up as badly on the way home).

Thanks Arthur for the detailed response!

1gauge looks great and will go on the list of things to buy!

And yes the temp gauges are crap! don't understand why manufactures do this?
Would be good if an electronics wizard was able to change the sensing circuit in the instrument cluster to read what the temp was actually doing!

Cheers Craig

I've learnt a lot reading this thread - thanks.
Can anyone recommend engine temp, EGR and/or low coolant gauges for a 2009 2.4 Puma Defender and a supplier?
My wallet is currently empty, but will soon be replenished.

Originally Posted by donh54

The standard gauge is NEVER any help! By the time it reacts, the damage is most likely already done!

Yep. I am on my second daily driver that does not even have a gauge fitted, just a warning light! Gives you an indication how much faith manufacturers have in them.

At first it was sooo wrong, but now i just live with it.

As for any bush going vehicle, low coolant is a must. I rate the Madman EMS. Pricy tho....

One way to keep the cost down is to purchase your sensors separately.
I've got the MadMan EMS unit only then got the EGT, oil pressure etc on eBay for a fraction of the cost offered by the vendor of the monitor.
The unit also has a great capability to be programmed to use temp senders other than the VDO one. I used some cheap NTC types

Fortunately my 04 D2a came with a OBD2 port which makes adding a temp gauge and many more readouts simple and inexpensive as the gauge uses all the sensors already installed in the truck
LR in its wisdom unfortunately decided that a OBD2 port wasn't needed in the TD5 models so fitting aftermarket gauges and sensors become difficult and expensive.

Originally Posted by trout1105

Fortunately my 04 D2a came with a OBD2 port which makes adding a temp gauge and many more readouts simple and inexpensive as the gauge uses all the sensors already installed in the truck
LR in its wisdom unfortunately decided that a OBD2 port wasn't needed in the TD5 models so fitting aftermarket gauges and sensors become difficult and expensive.

Td5's have obd port , just use different protocol, all which can be read with nanocom , testbook , Hawkeye, as well as high end gscan etc

Hi All,
I have a 2001 defender Td% and I fitted this little black box:
Home
It is a rather complete kit, with visual and acoustic alarm, monitoring engine oil pressure, alternator charge, coolant or cylinder head temperature (depends where you fit the extra sensor) and most importantly the coolant level.
Many years of reliable service.

I have a Disco 3 diesel and I fitted an Engine Watchdog TM4 with one sensor for each bank of the engine. I paid A$189. The single sensor version is about A$149 I think. It works fine.