i have just finished my L swap, its a stock except for a 4# lower pulley, 03 L engine in an 01 4x4 its already tuned and i am going to get some guages so i can watch whats going on under the hood. what guages are a must have. i am going to get a boost guage and a trans temp guage, do i need fuel pressure or just a wide band, and is the stock oil pressure guage sufficient? what guages do you guys have?

 

From what I have seen on AZLOC

Dynojet Wideband Commander (actually data logs your A/F ratio)

Aeroforce Tech Lets you see anything your PCM sees. So basically you can see spark retard, tran temp, iginition timing and more.

Auto Meter Vac/Boost Gauge Basically a "show off" gauge but it lets you know that your making proper boost at the proper times. Which in itself can be a good tool.

 

is the aeroforce tech thing as good as it sounds or what. it sounds like a good unit but i dont know

 

I plan to get one if that tells you anything. Sounds pretty sweet to me!

 

IRONS1N,

Have you looked at the PLX?
http://www.plxdevices.com/multigauges.html

I've wondered about these.

Thanks,
-Tung

 

I'd have to see the scan data on fuel pressure compared to gauge that is plumbed separately into the system before I'd trust one. Fuel Pressure IS a critical function to monitor. If you are going with a wideband setup then look into something that allows for datalogging a variety of parameters. Innovate Motorsports latest wideband system captures SAE scan data as well as AFR. Pretty much what the Aeroforce gauge displays but can't datalog.

 

so is a digital guage like that not trustworthy or what

 

I wouldnt recommend a A/F wideband that DOESNT data log. Basically your A/F can spike and return so fast that you didnt see it. Also, you cant always watch it 24/7 so its nice to know what exactly it does.

Those PLX gauges look cool, but seem pretty expensive. Look badass though.

If the Aeroforce gauge reads fuel pressure in the F150s / Lightnings I'm not 100% sure as I dont own one. However it reads the data from the PCM, so whatever fuel pressure the PCM reads should be pretty damn accurate. If its not then something is wrong. Basically it should be more accurate then any pressure tester you put on the Fuel rail test port.

 

so from my quick skim over the interceptor guage material from their site i still cant tell if it has the data log function, it said something about it but i am confused, i am not up on all this stuff yet, this L swap at 20 years old was my first big project and i am still learning

 

I agree on the wideband that doesn't data log....I am running the following:

Dual Interceptor Guages ---these are great, plug into port under dash and can cycle through over 36 readings and does data logging...I just got mine from a group buy on lightningrodder.com for $384 shipped...you just got to keep you eye out there.
Autometer A/F (wideband)
Autometer Water Temp
Autometer Boost Gauge (this is not just for show, different outside temps will result in different boost sometimes and you don't want to push a stock block too far, that is why I am going built currently)

 

I didn't think the Interceptor actually datalogged. How long can it store data?

This is what I would be looking to buy right now.

http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/products/lm2.php


Very good wideband plus able to datalog CAN/OBD-II data. It can also drive a separate AFR gauge. Which is good because with a supercharged vehicle the standard lean-stoich-rich scale isn't very useful. You can use the LM-2 to setup your own scale. So if you want an AFR of 12.5 to be considered lean threshold and 11.8 to be your "stoich" value, you can have the LM-2 tell the gauge to display that.

 

Doubtful. Electric pressure transducers grade on a "curve" in most cases and there is considerable leeway given to tolerances from the factory. A mechanical gauge has no such curve, it will only tell you exactly what it sees. I run an Auto-Meter FP gauge exactly because I know it's more accurate than what my PCM sees. Plus my LMA-3 is setup to datalog fuel pressure directly from the Auto-Meter sender so I can see a change in fuel pressure well before the PCM would register the same change.

 

Ok maybe I've read wrong on FP gauges like the Auto-Meter FP gauge. Where I read up on them people said they were a few PSI off for whatever reasons (not necessary Auto-Meter but just in general).

Now at work I've put a fuel gauge on a car and looked up to see what the PCM was reading, while both were the exact same I get what you mean by a curve.

My mistake I never actually data logged a manual gauge vs what the PCM sees so you know more about this then i do.

 

Page 7... starting with letter F states how this gauge will record data in its owners Manuel


"f) RECORD. Upon selecting record, the unit will return to the selected scan
mode except the first letter of each field description will be replaced with a
square block to indicate that record is active. You may notice that the gauge
is scanning much faster in this mode. Once the throttle position reaches 50%
or higher the unit will automatically start recording the displayed data for
approximately 45-60+ seconds. When recording begins, the display colors
will invert as an alert. The recorded file will be saved for replay until record
is selected again and the proper record conditions are met. The new file will
overwrite the old. The Interceptor will maintain the file even when powered
down. If in record mode, you wish to return to normal scan mode, access the
menu screen and select record again. This will disable it until selected again
via the menu. Recording fuel economy will slow down the data rate as is not
recommended if speed is important.
g) PLAY. Once Play is selected the Interceptor will return to the normal scan
screen but will show the first frame of a recorded log. You will notice the
field descriptions flickering to indicate playback mode is in effect. Pushing
the right button will toggle forward to the next frame in chronological order,
the left button will toggle backwards, or to the very last frame if done at the
beginning of the file. Holding either button down will quickly scroll through
the data until the button is released. The backlight will flash every time a new
frame is displayed. In other words, push a button once and the light will blink
once. Hold a button down and the light will blink quickly as each new frame"

if anyone wants a copy of the 22 page owners manuel it can be downloaded from many sites, or just PM me with an email address and I will send it to you

 

45 - 60 seconds only above 50% TP? Not really very useful. Particularly if you need to datalog transients that occur well below 50% TP for street tuning. The Innovate setup allows for around 44 minutes and hundreds of logs until the memory is used up. Use a DL-32 and you can run even longer on flash memory chips. I have datalogs more than 20 minutes long on my truck when testing new stuff or establishing baselines.