TheSamba.com Forums
 
  View original topic: Quad CHT gauge?
acepilot Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:33 pm

Does anyone make a quad CHT gauge (gauge in one standard 2-1/16" or 2-1/4" hole with 4 needles) for CHT monitoring of all 4 cylinders without any sort of switching needed?

BDubVdub Tue Aug 21, 2012 10:14 pm

Finding a quad gauge that small won't be easy. Westach makes a lot of quad gauges and actually has a 2" and 2.25" CHT gauge but they're almost $400 or more.

RailBoy Wed Aug 22, 2012 2:50 am

Better than a damn Graphic Equalizer I bet: RB

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/in/chtgauges_mgl.html

acepilot Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:52 am

RailBoy wrote: Better than a damn Graphic Equalizer I bet: RB

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/in/chtgauges_mgl.html

Yup saw that one...a bit pricey but probably worth it. The only thing wrong with it is its size...standard aircraft size (3-1/8") and would look out of place with my existing gauges. Besides the fact that it has a digital display and mine are all analog needle types...

yamaducci Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:03 am

You can use their single needle design with the optional selector switch and 4 thermocouples.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/westswitches.php
No one in the auto industry uses them since watercooled cars don't really worry about head temp like we do. They worry about coolant temp.

Stripped66 Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:20 am

acepilot wrote: RailBoy wrote: Better than a damn Graphic Equalizer I bet: RB

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/in/chtgauges_mgl.html

Yup saw that one...a bit pricey but probably worth it. The only thing wrong with it is its size...standard aircraft size (3-1/8") and would look out of place with my existing gauges. Besides the fact that it has a digital display and mine are all analog needle types...

The MGL TC-1 is 2 1/4" http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/1105719.php

There are several display options. I have mine configured to display text, rather than the bar graph, and the 4 cylinders are organized on the display in the same way they are oriented on the engine:
Cyl 3 Cyl 1
Cyl 4 Cyl 2
which makes reading the gauge intuitive. Yeah, the gauge doesn't jive well with analog gauges, but I want to know my CHT when I look at the gauge; not fiddle around with a selector switch, or waste timing trying to figure out what the exact temp is or isn't from which graduation the needle is in front of, on, or behind.



Have you actually thought about how well you could read a 2 1/4" gauge that has 4 analog needles on it? If such a gauge existed, it would be all but worthless. Even the single and dual analog CHT gauges are typically restricted to 25 degree increments at best (the VDO CHT gauge is absolutely laughable in that regard). So, if you're looking for just a dash ornament that tells you when you're running too hot, you don't need 4 thermocouples, and an analog gauge will work just fine. If you want to know the actual temp for tuning your engine and cooling system, a digital gauge is what you'll need.

metalchomper Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:56 am

The MGL gauges are really trick. Haven't found anything comparable.


krusher Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:38 am

So what temp differentials are you guys seeing across 4 cylinders?



Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group