Any accurate NON digital readout cylinder head temp gauges?

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So we all know from the forum that Dakota’s digital CHT is an excellent accurate gauge that many have used with success on an Aircooled VW. For those that simply don’t like the look of a digital faced gauge in a pre-1980 vehicle, does anyone make a nice CHT gauge that does not have a digital readout? I see Aircraft Spruce has quite a few needle swept gauges, but has anyone used anything other than Dakota/VDO?

[evanfrucht]

I dont know how accurate it as as I have yet to install it but this is what I'm going be using. I bought one and plan to make a custom face for in so that all my gauges match the original VW speedo font for '67. Sorry this isn't much help... but its is supposed to be accurate to +5/-5% and made in USA. Comes with the sender. If it turns out to be total junk I'm going to call AutoMeter and give them a hassle... the company has been around a while and seem to have good reviews in general.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/AutoMeter-3336-Spor...-sQAvD_BwE
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1967 Bug ( the daily rod )
1964 Fury Wagon ( the pavement shredder )

[saw2]

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/CHT_gauges.php?clickkey=4628439

I have used a couple of these Micro 1000 cht gauges from Aircraft Spruce. They are also temperature compensated. They have the same gauge with a round bezel. The face matches very closely to the other VDO gauges I’m using. Have had one for about 10 years no problems at all. You order gauge, leads and temp probe separately.

I’ve had one in my buggy for about 10 years without a single problem. The one thing I do notice is how much price has went up in 10 years

[raygreenwood]

[Michael1]

https://www.csp-shop.de/elektrik/instrumente/zylinderkopftemperatur-instrumente/

Csp has them

[RWK]

ISSPRO are good, use them on turbo diesel trucks.
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73 Type 181
63 Type 113
63 Type 261- 428 071
62 Type 241-378 025 178 530

[fl59bug]

Though its bottom rung I'm sure compared to the others mentioned, here is what I am using:

https://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=C10%2D310%2D901%2DT1

EDIT: sorry I do see that this is "VDO style" and you had asked about gauges other than Dakota/VDO

[wheel607]

I have used "old school" Stewart Warner temperature gauge and sender from Harley Davidson or Corvair. You can find them cheap NOS on fleabay. Checked with electronic point and click thermometer and they are spot on.

[esde]

I run this Falcon gauge from aircraftspruce
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/smicrocht6.php?clickkey=9451
I like it much more than the VDO gauge it replaced. They also offer a special extension lead for the thermocouples
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[RWK]

These are also very good, made in MI. Mostly digital though

http://thesensorconnection.com/category/egt-electronics/meters-displays
_________________
73 Type 181
63 Type 113
63 Type 261- 428 071
62 Type 241-378 025 178 530

[raygreenwood]

OK....to help this thread out a little....excellent thread by the way....

Here are the "Requirements" a CHT gauge MUST have.....both to be useful for an aircooled VW and....to kind of match what the OP in this thread was looking for.

1. It needs to reach at minimum 500*F (260*C). Bear in mind that for a daily driver 400*F...is HOT....too hot if it stays pegged there....and way to hot if it goes over 425* F for just short spurts of time. 385*F steady....is common and good.

2. Based on the above....It needs to have increments of 25* F. to about 33*F (moving in quarters or thirds)...so you can see where you are. If it moves in 100*F lumps....you may be at 450 or even 500 without knowing where you really are.

If 400* is hot....then having jumps of 50*...you can be waaaay too hot before you see the needle move at all. 25* increments would be ideal.

3. Accuracy....really as many people will tell you...if its thermistor based....a CHT is really only a "trend" indicator. However if its thermocouple based....it SHOULD BE accurate enough and quick enough in response time to tell you the temperature within 1*F.......IF..... the CHT contact point is in the right location .....and IF......the gauge is cold/hot junction COMPENSATED.

For those who do not know...cheap gauges like the VDO ....DO NOT HAVE COMPENSATION. Which means.....the higher difference in the ambient air temperature at the cold point on the circuit board inside of the actual gauge...versus the hot junction at the cylinder head temp sensor TC.....the farther off the gauge will be.

It is not uncommon for uncompensated CHT gauges to be off 50* to 100*+ in cold weather ....in a VW.

4. Ideally....it should be back-lighted....but thats just me.


So....

evanfrucht said:

[evanfrucht]

Isn't it possible the get the car cooling well enough where the heads wont get past 340? I had the same concern but I'm trying to keep head temps under 340 if possible. I'm hoping to keep the gauge from maxing out. I have done hoover mods, if that makes any difference lol.

Isn't 275-325 sort of the sweet spot for head temps? On an air cooled engine

I know many people get away with 375ish.... but isnt 400+ basically starting to ask for trouble?

I never monitored my head temps before so I'm seriously asking

But I have read through tons of posts on various head temp threads here. And it seems to me 90% of people are running head temps under 325.

Oh well, I bought it already... once I get the engine running I'll get an infrared thermometer or whatever the best tool is for monitoring head temps (aside from a gauge) and try to find out how hot I'm running after a long hard drive. And maybe I'll install the gauge too and just see what it says. Or maybe I can mount it somewhere other than that spark plug and figure out what the relationship between those two temps is.... that way I'll atleast have an idea of what's going on back there.
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1967 Bug ( the daily rod )
1964 Fury Wagon ( the pavement shredder )

[raygreenwood]

[chrisflstf]

I like the digital because of the easy to read display. Analogs you can be off by 50 degrees just looking at it at an angle, poor resolution.

Are the thermocouple leads typically long enough to reach a Bus?

[raygreenwood]

[[email protected]]

Thanks for all the replies. I’m not against a Dakota, or a VDO gauge. I’m just not fond of the digital readout of the Dakota, and every listing I’ve come across for the VDO gauge has it being discontinued. Those were the two most common, and I was just curious as to what else may be available. I seem to remember the VDO gauges weren’t compensated, but could still be useful if you are aware of how this may change the gauge readings during different ambient temps.

I saw the Autometer gauge, and although you don’t want an Aircooled head running 400+ degrees for long, I’m not sure it’s range is high enough. I found the CIP gauge later last night, and the CSP gauge looks nice as well. The dual temp Falcon gauge looks interesting as well. I think the Micro 1000 gauges may be the nicest for accuracy, and have the appearance not too far out of the ordinary. I still may see what I can find used/NOS for a VDO, and never thought of a Stewart Warner from a Corvair.

[raygreenwood]

[Floating VW]

I'm also not a fan of digital gauges, at least not for vintage automobiles. I toyed with the idea of using the Autometer gauge since all of my other gauges are Autometer, but as noted above, it only goes to 340 degrees F. In the end, I decided to go with this one:

I got it from here: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/CHTDUAL_gauges.php

It's the Micro 1000 dual CHT gauge, model 10-01429.

The good: It's temp compensated, goes to 600 degrees F, can measure two cylinder heads at the same time, and is back-lit.

The mediocre: The face only shows increments of 66 degrees F, and mine wasn't 100% accurate straight out of the box. Both needles were spot on up to 210 degrees F (the boiling water test), but when I ran it up to 400 degrees F (the hot oil test), one needle read 20 degrees low, and the other read 50 degrees low. After a bit of clever tinkering, I got both needles to read accurately between 250 degrees and 400 degrees, at the expense of being off at temps below 250 degrees F. I can live with that.

The bad: It only comes with a square bezel, which doesn't match any of my other gauges (fortunately, I had a chunk of aluminum in the scrap drawer to fabricate a round bezel for it to better match the Autometers). And the light from the back light doesn't give the same level of illumination as the rest of my gauges (which annoys the hell out of me!), so I'll have to do something about that.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. It's really only good for "trending", but being able to read both cylinder heads accurately with temperature compensation is nice.

Oh, the red areas on the dial weren't like that from the manufacturer; I painted that on, myself.
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"It's time you started treating people as individuals, rather than mathematically predictable members of an aggregate set, regardless of how well that works."

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[raygreenwood]