Keath Marx wrote:
>
> Okay, here is the thing. I have an 02 Celica GT. I have been
> autocrossing it since it had 800 miles on the OD. Currently I am not
> too concerned about the engine or anything. But an incident with a
> friend's Miata made think more about this. (the 99 miata had to have
> the engine replaced due to an oil problem)
>
> I have been thinking about adding some gauges for temp and pressure at
> some point as I want to keep an eye on those things when the engine gets
> more worn. (currently 15,000 miles) I planned on getting one of those
> gauge pods for the pillar (I really don't like the look of them but then
> again keeping the motor in one piece is more important than looks.)
There is no reason to put gauges on the a-pillar besides having them in
plain view. Pressure and temp gauges really don't need constant
monitoring and I think you'd be less frustrated with the gauges in the
future if you put them elsewhere on the dash. On the a-pillar they'll
just be blocking your view, and if you're trying to look at them during
a run, well, you're not going to do very well! :-D
If you're worried about oil starvation under high loads (a genuine
concern with a stock engine and autox tires), you can get one of the
expensive Greddy or HK$ gauges with an alarm integrated in it.
> I'm
> thinking that by putting the gauges in now I can get used to what they
> look like when things are good and be more readily able to notice a
> change in the future. From some posts I have read on newcelica.org the
> temp sending unit is extremely accurate the gauge on the dash is just
> not very finely graduated (basically notches along it instead of a
> sweep)
Modern RX-7 dash temp gauges are like this (fortunately I've got an
older RX-7 :), the needle goes to the center two minutes after the
engine's running and stays there until it starts to melt. There's a way
to defeat this but I do not know it off the top of my head, but at least
you know there's something to search for.
>
> My question is twofold.
> 1) Will mounting gauges affect my Stock class eligibility?
>
> 2) What should I monitor? Water temp., Oil pressure. No turbo so no
> boost. Not so worried about the electrical system. Oil temperature was
> mentioned to me by a mechanic.
>
If you're worried about oil starvation a pressure gauge will tell you,
but you'll need a copilot to tell you about it. Water and/or oil temp
will tell you if you're abusing the engine and its cooling capacity by
spending a minute or so at full throttle. And they'll tell you after the
run when you can pay attention to them.
--
---
Electricity: Electrons in motion.
Morality: Morons in motion.
Road racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague wish for something
salty.
- Peter Egan
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