Gauges and panels.

Anybody know a good way to add gauges (Oil pressure, gas, temperature) to a mowers engine? Im planning on adding some to my offroader. How about a panel for out electric starts and things as well? Last, how do I fill in the holes on my dash?

Take a llok in the electrical section

https://www.atltf.com/t1750-how-to-wire-up-a-low-oil-sensor

I can answer some of those:

Making panels is easy, all you need is some flat metal. When I did my dash, I did all toggle switches because cutting holes for rocker switches is hard and drilling holes for toggles is easy.

For holes you can use some fiberglass body filler if its plastic, or just some scrap metal and a welder if its metal (how I did mine).

Chopperhed wrote:

Take a llok in the electrical section

https://www.atltf.com/t1750-how-to-wire-up-a-low-oil-sensor

Not what I was trying to accomplish. I ment more along the lines of a ooil PRESSURE gauge, like we have in cars.

As most small engines are splash lubricated they have no oil pressure.

WellThatsSurprising wrote:

As most small engines are splash lubricated they have no oil pressure.

bingo...

For all other systems its a matter of having the sensor/sender and a guage.

Tachs are expensive for these engines.

Ammeter, voltmeters are pretty simple, I prefer voltmeters since i don't have to run big cables to it.

Any safety swith on your rig can be wired up to a light as a simple off/on indicator

Actually Tachs are quite cheap depending on where you buy them, most american stores mark them up like crazy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hour-meter-Tachometer-2-4-Stroke-Small-Engine-Spark-For-Boat-Outboard-Mercury-/150950632944?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23255bddf0

This same exact one goes for 40 at Northern Tool.

Make a new dash over the new.

Tach, exh temp, mixture, oil temp, volt that should fill your dash space

The big issue is that those little cheapy tachs have a digital display, and some aren't even backlit. If you're like me, you'd much prefer an automotive style analog sweep gauge. Those do NOT come cheap for magneto-ignition engines, and a normal auto one generally won't work.

Doc Sprocket wrote:

The big issue is that those little cheapy tachs have a digital display, and some aren't even backlit. If you're like me, you'd much prefer an automotive style analog sweep gauge. Those do NOT come cheap for magneto-ignition engines, and a normal auto one generally won't work.

And also the read out lag on cheap ones.

I guy I know in The LFMAO race league uses Autmeter universal diesel tachs. Nice analog look, and comes with a mag pickup.

Pricey though.

Ah, okay. Nice to get other opinions on things, I've only seen one that was on a friends tractor and while I was riding it did not seem to lag, guess there might actually be a difference. I use a TrailTech vapor on most of my motorized things.

Yeah, when I think more about it your might be better of without a cheap tach than having one, like false readout. Say I removed the governor of Californiaii. And the tach shows 3500rpm, me thinking I can floor it some more, the motor might be at 3650rpm, when I let off the throttle it might have 3800rpm and two holes in the block

accuracy is key.

A false reading is worse than none at all.

Good idea with the diesel tach. I don't imagine that they are cheap though. The range is probably better, too- I have a nice 10K rpm race-style tach, which would be a total waste on an engine that never sees over 4K...

Regarding other gauges- I am experimenting with a temperature setup. Stay with me here-

An automotive water temperature gauge- the mechanical type that needs no power. (could use an electric one but I got this for like $5). Right now, I have it plumbed into the oil drain plug fitting. The idea being that it reads engine oil temp. Once a "normal" is established, it can be used to keep an eye on things while punishing that air-cooled engine on a hot August day...

So far, so wrong.I picked up some plumbing stuff- I wrenched a nipple and a tee into the block. Off one side of the tee is the factory drain fitting. Off the other side, is the temp sender. Unfortunately, the sender is just too far out of the block in this configuration, so the oil that sits in that section of pipe stays too cool. I did it this way because I didn't want to have to take out the sender every time I change the oil- which I am pretty anal about.

But it's not working. I have to get that sender closer to the sump- maybe right in it. I will first try taking all the extra fittings out and installing it just outside the sump. failing that, I may drill and tap a new hole right in the sump. We'll see.

one other thing I been thinking about- oil temp doesn't change very quickly. But head temp does. I might try hogging out a space between cooling fins right on the cylinder head, and soldering the probe in place there. However- this probe was made to be submerged in liquid. I'm not sure if this (or soldering) would kill it...

The oil temp sender should be in the oil.

I don't know how it will work on the head.

IF you had the cash, an exhaust gas temperature gauge woukd tell a lot about your mixture

Thunderdivine wrote:

Doc Sprocket wrote:

The big issue is that those little cheapy tachs have a digital display, and some aren't even backlit. If you're like me, you'd much prefer an automotive style analog sweep gauge. Those do NOT come cheap for magneto-ignition engines, and a normal auto one generally won't work.

And also the read out lag on cheap ones.

I used a regular tachometer on my tractor and it works great! it goes up to 2,500 rpm, minimum of about 900 to 1000 to rpm.