Why?
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Why?
Why ? yeah ! good question .Probably 101 other things to waste time and money on !
Land Rover does not think one needs to know voltage or amps or really anything about the electrical system except maybe what a red light indicates. The same can be said for oil pressure and air. Fuel is all that seems to matter.
I was able to solve my volts readout concerns with a ScanGauge and got engine coolant temp along with it. The LR supplied round gauge, well it does not quite indicate to the "precision" I had in mind. While it seems not really possible with the LR water temp gauge, in other vehicles, I have seen thermostat failures developing over time just by watching the needle or a digital readout fluctuate.
The same would be nice with the air system. Yes, I would agree that probably from a marketing sense, an air gauge might not be wise as it would suggest Kenworth. For me however, it would be nice to have at least a digital readout available thru one of the information windows.
Alas, LR does not agree and I suppose that repair of the system in the unlikely event that all is not perfect can always be handled by the nearby local friendly LR dealer.
Yes, even with gauges, the dealer still gets his money, but most often, I have avoided walking.
I just do not regard the air system as plug and play or set and forget, but yes, that is how LR apparently likes to see it along with a number of other systems.
I guess what bothers me most is that LR has sensors all over the place for pressure and temperature of the engine, air compressor, E diff, tranny, battery and alternator, yet they keep it secret from the driver.
GM at least on their pickups, displays engine oil pressure, volts, and if a diesel, transmission oil temperature, and then via the digital windows, engine hours and a host of other parameters.
In summary, I have found that gauges if watched over time, sometimes can foretell failure or even help to resolve problems if you are lucky.
The pressure gauges on trucks are used to indicate the load, either directly through a calibrated gauge or indirectly to allow a conversion from pressure to weight. Pressure in the air springs will be different depending on how much load on each corner - front to rear and left to right. I can't see any point in knowing.
One of the nice aspects of the air system, is that regardless of load, the vehicle is always level.
This applies regardless of where the load is, internal or external, say for instance, a trailer tongue loading.
With conventional springs, all one has to do is bend down and look at the distance between the axle and the spring shackle stops. With air suspension it is not so easy.
I kind of think that with increased load at the rear, air pressure would increase in the rear air springs and hence one would have an indication of tongue weight. That might be of value.
Yes, but only if pressures have been calibrated to weight.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbyer
And that will vary with temperature, humidity and altitude, so difficult to maintain true calibrationQuote:
Originally Posted by Graeme
Cheers,
Gordon