Temp/Compass/Altimeter Display

Single pod will fit the bill for u if you don't use a gentex mirror like I did and gps
has the altimeter built in

 

LOL, I plan on putting a tran temp and oil press gauge in as well.

The tran temp gauge is going to be a B&M Transmission Temperature Gauge model# 80212

It will be a while though before I finish the gauge pod a-pillar setup though.

I already have the temp sensor in place.

Anyways, this would be a nice project to see to it's completion!!!

 

How did you "mold" the, what looks like a universal gauge pod mount, to your a-pillar strip?

 

There are 2 styles for the Tacoma, the early 1997 tacoma is different then the 2004 style.

$39 Auto Meter 15411 Gauge Works Single Gauge Pod

Auto Meter 15411 Pillar pod, just make sure it's for the right year, mine fit perfectly and came with plastic rivets, so no glue,
You can see the pillar pod different here

 

AWESOME!!! Thank you!!!

I have a 1998 Reg Cab.

 

Me too

 

I don't think these pods will fit this "special" gauge that we are talking about here in this thread; it has a 2-3/16" body; not 2". I have emailed the gaugepod.com people about getting a quote on a special pod made up for this size gauge (60mm?). We'll see what they come up with for it. I will ask about a 2-pod a-pillar, with one pod for a 2" gauge, and one for a 2-3/16" gauge.

 

Here's what the guy at gaugepods.com said in an email this morning:

Lo-Tek Inc <admin@gaugepods.com>
10:04 AM (12 minutes ago)



to me

Ray;

Our Tacoma gauge holders are made for 2 1/16” gauges. There may be no need to develop a new application. It may be possible for you to enlarge the hole another 1/8” to accommodate your gauge.

You can order one that fits your vehicle and test it to see if you can mount the unit. We can leave the hole(s) undrilled if you prefer and you can drill them yourself.


Best Regards,

Lo-Tek, Inc.

 

There are a lot of these Harley ambient temp sensors on eBay for sale (used).
Harley part #74419-96A.
Apparently, a lot of Harley owners aren't happy with the accuracy of the air temp gauge (because of it's sensor location inside of the fairing) so they replace the air temp gauge with an Oil Temp gauge!

 

Subd. Been wanting to do this aswell.

 

Yeah, after much searching, it appears that the Dakota Digital gauge is made to fit the specific HD cutout, which is apparently not a universal gauge size. Figured if I went the pod route, it'd be easy enough to dremel out 1/16" all the way around the opening to make it fit.

That was my finding as well. Given some other research, and what Wes mentioned in an email, the sensor should be much more accurate with better placement.

 

Ordered the gauge today, so it should arrive in a week or so.

I was going to head to a local Harley dealer, but it's closed on Mondays. I'll try to swing by tomorrow and see if I can hunt down info on the wiring/connectors/sensor.

Still playing with mounting area ideas. I'll get a better idea when I get the gauge and see if it needs to be in a particular spot to get good reception, or if it works fine anywhere.

 

Got the gauge today and did a real quick test (wired up to a small 12v battery in-cab) while I was out running errands. Only about 20 minutes worth, so more in-depth testing will need to be done to get a better idea, but here's my initial impression:

-Gauge looks/feels seemingly well built. Display was easy to read. Matte black metal bezel, cast metal rear plate, with some kind of black composite (non-metallic) body.
-After initial turn-on, it took a long time (5+ minutes) locating satellites.
-Temp sensor hasn't arrive yet, so I can't comment on that aspect.
-Compass was pretty spot-on, and quick to cycle while changing direction. Since it is GPS-based (and not magnetic), it requires movement in order to provide the proper heading.
-Altimeter reading was waaaaaay off from my phone GPS. Anywhere from 20-100 feet off, in either direction. E.G.: beside a beach, phone said 9FT, gauge said -48FT; top of small hill, phone said 139FT, gauge said 244FT. Pretty decent percentage off.
-Satellite reception strength (depicted by 5 signal bars on the display) usually got 4-5 bars under the windshield, but setting it on the passenger seat, center console, or holding it in those general areas typically brought it down it 1-3 bars pretty quick. It was hard for me to judge signal strength near the lower dash or a-pillar while driving and having wires attached to a 12v battery flopping around. Hence, more testing time needed.

Overall, my concerns are still the ones I had initially: reception and accuracy. With further testing I'll see if these aspects will improve. If they don't, I'd be hesitant to waste time and money installing a gauge that may only work intermittently, and when it does work, could be unreliable in its measurements.

I will keep you all posted on test #2.

 

Gotta say Tyler, unless you're flying (as in an airplane), I think those altimeter readings are about as good as you will get, as it's probably just a simple barometric altimeter (measures changes in barometric pressure). Non-military based GPS systems (the ones that we use) are only usually accurate to about 16 - 20 ft.

Oh, forgot to mention that I ordered the HD temp sensor too, and it should be here any day.

 

I gotchya, Ray. My phone GPS and Garmin GPS are within that accuracy deviation, which I find more than acceptable in day-to-day life as well as back-country wandering.

However, in my testing so far, this gauge has been considerably beyond this discrepancy. Yesterday I got a little bit of time testing it again, and as I was heading up a sizable grade on a highway, it was reading that I was actually losing elevation (eg, the bottom of the hill had a higher elevation that the crest). I haven't torn it apart to examine the silicon hardware, but according to the manual, it says it is gathering heading and altitude directly from GPS signals. Given the stark differences in accuracy when compared to my other GPS devices, it seems like this GPS hardware is having a tough time. I mean, if I wanted ballpark figures, I could save the money and just make some educated elevation guesses

I'll keep testing. Once you get yours set up, let me know how its info is trending.

 

Ah; sounds wacky for sure. Seems that I read on Dakota's website that you could switch from altimeter to clock on there. Maybe that's the best thing to do.....or send it back. Hate it when new stuff doesn't work or perform a task that it is supposed to.

By the way Tyler, what model Garmin do you have? Is it a handheld, or are you talking about an auto navigation/map GPS? Looking at getting a waterproof handheld for the outback.

 

Yeah, I'm gonna keep playing with it and hopefully it pans out to be more reasonable with its readings. Already have the factory clock (that will be going away hopefully soon) and a clock on my head unit, so no need for another time-tracker.

Have you had a chance to test yours out yet?

The Garmin I was using for the altitude testing was my Forerunner watch. I've used it with a lot of back-country hiking and camping, and the elevation reports have been pretty accurate.
I had a car-mounted one, but I got tired of it taking up space and just ended up using the GPS and maps via my cell phone.

 

Haven't had a chance to play with it yet. Got 14 stitches across the back of my hand thanks to a drill press accident, so I'm out of commission for awhile.

 

Oh geez, that's a pretty decent excuse. Hope it heals up quickly!

 

How's the hand, @Kleenax ?
Excited to see how your gauge testing/installation goes.

After several days of continued testing, I decided to send the gauge back. Signal strength, even by the A-pillar, varied substantially, and the altimeter function never became remotely accurate.
Sadly, looks like I'm either back to square one in this search, or will make-do with a Gentex temp/compass mirror and just refer to my other GPS devices to get elevation readings.