Engine and Drivetrain Gauges VS Idiot Lights

[embedded rock]

Idiot lights on the dashboard have long been bashed. You know the saying.

Those that want to know installed specific gauges for monitoring and awareness.

My former '03 Silverado with the Duramax and Allison transmission has a transmission temperature gauge. At the time, it was cool to see this.

After the short lived Silverado came a manual transmission Frontier followed by the F150 and the Tacoma with a manual transmission. The last didn't have a digital temp readout for gauges.

Now, the wrangler has these digital readout gauges with some upper range red bands.

Here's the point of this thread. At some point Jeep added digital readout gauges after listening to owner's feedback. (I'm assuming this) So now there digital readout gauges and while this forum is awesome to read and gather what are normal temperature characteristics, I don't recall reading I'm my online/digital owner's manual regarding normal temperature and pressure ranges.

I cycle through the temp and pressure readings randomly for informational purposes.

Sometimes I wish there were idiot lights and not have to think about this stuff. I did all that gauge watching while flying Chinook helicopters because something was about to go wrong and I better be ready with the emergency procedure.

So, what do you prefer? Digital readout gauges or idiot lights?

Btw, my off-road pages don't work and I could care less.

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[roaniecowpony]

Idiot lights on the dashboard have long been bashed. You know the saying.

Those that want to know installed specific gauges for monitoring and awareness.

My former '03 Silverado with the Duramax and Allison transmission has a transmission temperature gauge. At the time, it was cool to see this.

After the short lived Silverado came a manual transmission Frontier followed by the F150 and the Tacoma with a manual transmission. The last didn't have a digital temp readout for gauges.

Now, the wrangler has these digital readout gauges with some upper range red bands.

Here's the point of this thread. At some point Jeep added digital readout gauges after listening to owner's feedback. (I'm assuming this) So now there digital readout gauges and while this forum is awesome to read and gather what are normal temperature characteristics, I don't recall reading I'm my online/digital owner's manual regarding normal temperature and pressure ranges.

I cycle through the temp and pressure readings randomly for informational purposes.

Sometimes I wish there were idiot lights and not have to think about this stuff. I did all that gauge watching while flying Chinook helicopters because something was about to go wrong and I better be ready with the emergency procedure.

So, what do you prefer? Digital readout gauges or idiot lights?

Btw, my off-road pages don't work and I could care less.

Both

 

[THAW]

JLs still have "idiot lights" (granted they're now mostly digital symbols) for all the classic warnings like oil temp and battery condition.

The additional gauges are fantastic.

 

[X35]

Gauges, I often pull them up on the off-road pages.

 

[Heimkehr]

Give me gauges every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I've added them to my motorcycles and both of my riding mowers. Their value is beyond debate.

To this day, I miss the high water mark of Jeep dashboards; namely, the design used in the YJ-era Wranglers: a row of analog gauges that allowed the informed driver to monitor the status of his vehicle.

I'm glad that my JLU at least has the e-versions of those gauges, although my Jeep's trim is such that each one must be viewed individually. I have to toggle to the others as circumstances warrant.

It's probably too much to hope that the JL's replacement, rumored to be the "J70", would reintroduce an analog-style gauge presentation, while concurrently preserving the oversized dashboard tablet that too many folks are enamored of. We'll see.

 

[swampflyer]

Give me gauges every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I've added them to my motorcycles and both of my riding mowers. Their value is beyond debate.

To this day, I miss the high water mark of Jeep dashboards; namely, the design used in the YJ-era Wranglers: a row of analog gauges that allowed the informed driver to monitor the status of his vehicle.

I'm glad that my JLU at least has the e-versions of those gauges, although my Jeep's trim is such that each one must be viewed individually. I have to toggle to the others as circumstances warrant.

It's probably too much to hope that the JL's replacement, rumored to be the "J70", would reintroduce an analog-style gauge presentation, while concurrently preserving the oversized dashboard tablet that too many folks are enamored of. We'll see.

Why can't they have manual gauges accompanied with a warning light or both separate like my airplanes does? oh well crape in one hand and wish in the other. A fifteen dollar Stewart Warner gauge like in the model A ford works in an airplane however they charge 400 dollars for it lol.

 

[zouch]

there needs to be a choice for 'Both'.

i like to know what's going on, but i would like to be notified if something goes south when i'm not specifically looking at it.
ideally the gauges would be analog, and aligned so that they're obvious when they're out of bounds. even the old XJ had the gauges set up so that in 'normal' operating ranges they were all centered. to the extreme, in race cars, gauges were twisted so that in normal conditions, they were all aligned in a flat line. no need to look at and interpret; anything out of range stood out at a glance.

you can do something like this with a good aftermarket gauge(s) setup, where you can determine limits beyond which you want a notification. (i like the Banks iDash.)

 

[jellis4148]

I keep the gauges pulled up in my off-road pages. I can tell you at any time what temp, or pressure something is supposed to be at. I also reset my trip every time I get gas. If my fuel gauge quit I could still drive my Jeep, because I know how many approximate miles I can get on a tank of gas.

 

[Heimkehr]

I also reset my trip every time I get gas. If my fuel gauge quit I could still drive my Jeep, because I know how many approximate miles I can get on a tank of gas.

Same. It's a habit that cross-pollinated from my Suzuki, on which the trip meter serves as the de facto fuel gauge.

 

[Grayhound]

The diesel should have come with more gauges. I had to add a scangauge to see the aftertreatment equipment.

 

[zouch]

same.

habit developed because of driving English cars, when you never knew what wouldn't work next.

Same. It's a habit that cross-pollinated from my Suzuki, on which the trip meter serves as the de facto fuel gauge.

 

[Terrymo]

Both

 

[Heimkehr]

habit developed because of driving English cars, when you never knew what wouldn't work next.

The dodgy functioning of fuel pump sending units were an early lesson in my English car ownership experience.

 

[jellis4148]

Same. It's a habit that cross-pollinated from my Suzuki, on which the trip meter serves as the de facto fuel gauge.

Mine started from my parents. They used to write in a little book that they kept in glove box. They would put miles, gallons, price of fuel, total cost. Then do the math for MPG. They would also write in any service work done to the car like tires, rotation, even wiper blades. Straight up old school. I used to drive some pretty crappy vehicles. I had to know this stuff to see a problem before it got worse.

 

[Heimkehr]

Mine started from my parents. They used to write in a little book that they kept in glove box. They would put miles, gallons, price of fuel, total cost. Then do the math for MPG. They would also write in any service work done to the car like tires, rotation, even wiper blades.

My father did exactly that. As a child, I stayed current on my hand-calculated division skills because, if I was in the front seat, I was responsible for determining the prior tank's MPG.

That experience informs the degree of detail evident on the Excel spreadsheet that I maintain for my JLU. Old habits die hard.

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