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, Fri, 19 Jul 2002 22:53:28
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See accompanying photo of my setup. The top panel is angled metal, no longer available from Saab, replacing the lighter/ashtray--and the lower a plastic panel, still available as far as I know, which replaces the standard cubby hole.
My gauges are oil temp, boost/vacuum, water temp, oil pressure, and volts--listed in order of the most useful to me. The voltmeter was added because I had an extra hole and needed to fill it, and the voltmeter was about the only remaining alternative from the array of gauges available for that style. It is not easily visible when the shifter is in 5th, however, and I tilted it 90° to make it visible by a slight shift in my head position (forward). I would not put an important gauge in that position, and the voltmeter is redundant anyway.
The oil temp gauge is a very useful display of engine temperature, IMO better than water, and I use it probably more than any other auxillary gauge. For example, as a rule I never put the engine under stress (full-throttle) until oil temp is at least 150°F, though that threshold may be conservative. By that time water temp has been normal for several miles and the assumption is that all parts are up to operating temp. I also make sure the oil is at least 150° before shutting it down for any length of time. Not allowing the oil to heat sufficiently to boil water (a byproduct of combustion) out of the oil will tax the acid-absorbing additives in the oil. Water combined with sulfur in gas forms sulfuric acid compounds, so reducing this formation is important to engine, oil, and exhaust-system life. I'm also interested in peak temps, though this car never exceeds 210°F. Second to the speedometer and possibly the tach, I watch this gauge more than any other.
The boost gauge gives plenty of range, IMO, from 30 in/Hg to 25 psi. My Aero is capable of 23 psi, and few fanatics like my friend Zeke will stretch it beyond that. Boost/vacuum comes in a close second, and is a useful adjunct to the non-graduated stock gauge. In fact, I don't even use the stock gauge anymore.
The water temp is very useful, but a pure PITA to install since there is no available port to install a sender, or at least I was unable to find one. Instead, I rigged a sender to the upper hose using a C900 sleeve and brazing a thread adapter and ground connector to it, then chrome plated the assembly to prevent corrosion. Although I was assured by pundits that the 9K and C900 hoses were identical, I was misinformed and found that the 9K hose was a bit larger. Undeterred, I double-clamped and sealed it with Hylomar, and I've seen no leakage in the two years since it was installed.
The water temp gauge is especially useful to late-model 9K owners who don't have a real temp gauge. Later stock gauges are tied into EDU circuitry and do not give a relative indication of water temp. Because the sender is located downstream of the thermostat, a 'stat that sticks open will be readable with this gauge. You can watch the 'stat open as the stock gauge rises, but the VDO gauge will not register until the 'stat opens. If stuck open, the gauge temp will show a more graduate ascent.
I'm not sure what effect will be seen if the 'stat sticks closed, as I have yet to own a Saab that had a sticky unit, open or closed.
The oil-pressure gauge is not particularly useful, IMO. Should pressure drop quickly you likely won't be looking at the gauge at that time anyway, and the idiot light on the dash likely will be your best emergency indication. Otherwise, it shows 20 psi at idle and ~40 psi when warm at normal RPM levels, and doesn't vary much beyond this range. Having it is entertaining, IMO, not essential. In the unlikely event that pressure drops below normal but not low enough to trip the idiot light, it would then become an essential gauge.
posted by 68.11.251...
, Fri, 19 Jul 2002 22:53:28
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