Speed of Sound Pod/ Fuel/ Boost Guage Install

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alanw6

The gauge pod guy
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booricua said:
Thanks Alan I will try tonight while I wait for the rest of the parts

If you get in a jam, just give me a call. I should be around this evening, just call the number on my site.
 

booricua

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its a done deal it took some time but my 5 yr old kept on helping me or so he said I got a headache from hell had it all day but it work fine the way you said, they are brighter then the dash is this correct? let me know if you have knowledge of this and thanks for the help..
 

alanw6

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booricua said:
its a done deal it took some time but my 5 yr old kept on helping me or so he said I got a headache from hell had it all day but it work fine the way you said, they are brighter then the dash is this correct? let me know if you have knowledge of this and thanks for the help..

Yes, if they are lunar series gauges they will be slightly brighter than the stock gauges. It's totally normal, and most are cool with it. You can wire a resistor (100 ohm, if memory serves) and it gets it pretty close to matching.

Others have wired dimmer (rheostats) separately on the gauges to "match" them by hand.

Glad to hear the install went well, save for the headache. How you likin' the pillar?
 

booricua

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I love them the fit is very nice plus anyone that asks I refer them your way thanks for your help and for producing an outstanding product that was non existant for the vert :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 

pj_rage

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After the engine was off for like 2hrs or so, there wasn't any pressure at all in the fuel rail valve, not one drop came out. Is that normal?

Great writeup though, helped me do the install very smoothly!!
 

alanw6

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pj_rage said:
After the engine was off for like 2hrs or so, there wasn't any pressure at all in the fuel rail valve, not one drop came out. Is that normal?

Great writeup though, helped me do the install very smoothly!!

Yes, the fuel rail will lose pressure after some time passes, and it is very normal.

Tony's writeup is the best online for this job, and I'm glad it helped you get your pillar installed!
 

pj_rage

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alanw6 said:
Yes, the fuel rail will lose pressure after some time passes, and it is very normal.

Tony's writeup is the best online for this job, and I'm glad it helped you get your pillar installed!
Yeah, and Alan, it is definitely top notch just as everyone says :thumbsup: It was funny, though, when I first installed the gauges, I just pressed them into the pods. I couldn't fit the rubber band that comes with the autometers in there and since it was very firm I figured I didn't need velcro and that I was good to go. Well, the first time I left it out in the sun, it apparently got so hot inside, that it must have expanded the lower pod such that my fuel gauge just popped right out when I hit a bump while accelerating :lol1: So, I left it out in the sun again, cut a piece of that black rubber band off (very small), and stuffed it in there while it was loose. Problem solved :thumbsup: Anyone else notice this? Man it gets hot, it had to be 140 damn degrees inside, black interior, right in the sun, 100+ outside :nonono:
 

alanw6

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There's a solid explanation for the issue you experienced:

The rubber band shipped around Autometer gauges is NOT intended for installation. It is simply placed to hold the gauge properly in the cardboard hole in the gauge's box. This way, the gauge sits nicely in the "window" before you open the box.

Due to the thickness of the rubber band, I'll bet you had some trouble forcing it into the pods. The tolerance of our pods won't allow that much extra material. This is why we normally include a small square of velcro to stick on the back side of the gauge housing. Just a small 1/8" x 1/4" strip will do the trick. Heat doesn't affect velcro like it did the rubber band. This is step two in my instructions. You read them, right??? :D

Just a heads up for you, and anyone else taking this install on soon.

Alan
 
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pj_rage

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alanw6 said:
There's a solid explanation for the issue you experienced:

The rubber band shipped around Autometer gauges is NOT intended for installation. It is simply placed to hold the gauge properly in the cardboard hole in the gauge's box. This way, the gauge sits nicely in the "window" before you open the box.

Due to the thickness of the rubber band, I'll bet you had some trouble forcing it into the pods. The tolerance of our pods won't allow that much extra material. This is why we normally include a small square of velcro to stick on the back side of the gauge housing. Just a small 1/8" x 1/4" strip will do the trick. Heat doesn't affect velcro like it did the rubber band. This is step two in my instructions. You read them, right??? :D

Just a heads up for you, and anyone else taking this install on soon.

Alan
Nono, I didn't use the whole rubber band, ever. It didn't want to fit. I didn't realize it wasn't supposed to be used, but it didn't fit. When I installed the gauges into the pod in a cool environment, they were very snug (wouldn't come out). When the pods heated up, the gauges were VERY loose. Since I still had that rubber band in my cup holder, and a knife in my pocket, I just cut off a very small piece, about the size you described for velcro and put it in there. Holds nice and tight now. If I had had velcro in my cupholder, I would have used that :)
 

alanw6

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pj_rage said:
Nono, I didn't use the whole rubber band, ever. It didn't want to fit. I didn't realize it wasn't supposed to be used, but it didn't fit. When I installed the gauges into the pod in a cool environment, they were very snug (wouldn't come out). When the pods heated up, the gauges were VERY loose. Since I still had that rubber band in my cup holder, and a knife in my pocket, I just cut off a very small piece, about the size you described for velcro and put it in there. Holds nice and tight now. If I had had velcro in my cupholder, I would have used that :)

OK, I understand what you did and experienced a little better now. This is something that has not been observed by us (and in Memphis we are at 100 degrees today and have plenty of pods "cooking" out there around the country) or reported by any of my customers.

I will do a little independent testing this weekend. A few pods will be pulled from stock at random and placed in a car for the afternoon. Tomorrow's high is expected to be 101 with a 110 degree heat index. I'll measure a cool pod and hot one and post my findings.

It's an interesting thing you've experienced. If it causes you any further trouble (which it sounds like it won't with your fix) let me know, and I'll trade you for a new one so I can see yours in person. We'll see if my experiment proves anything, or if it was just "one of those things".
 

pj_rage

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alanw6 said:
OK, I understand what you did and experienced a little better now. This is something that has not been observed by us (and in Memphis we are at 100 degrees today and have plenty of pods "cooking" out there around the country) or reported by any of my customers.

I will do a little independent testing this weekend. A few pods will be pulled from stock at random and placed in a car for the afternoon. Tomorrow's high is expected to be 101 with a 110 degree heat index. I'll measure a cool pod and hot one and post my findings.

It's an interesting thing you've experienced. If it causes you any further trouble (which it sounds like it won't with your fix) let me know, and I'll trade you for a new one so I can see yours in person. We'll see if my experiment proves anything, or if it was just "one of those things".
I wouldn't call it a problem with your pod, I call it a problem with my installation. The gauges were in there snug, but could be pulled out by hand if necessary. I doubt the pod had to expand much at all to release the gauge, but I thought plastic expanding a little with heat was normal :shrug: Then again it is a little curious as to why only the lower one spit the gauge out and the upper one was still pretty tight (although, a little looser). To give you an idea of how hot it was, I couldn't touch the metal ring on the face of the gauge, unless I literally wanted to burn myself :lol1: At any rate, there is definitely no need for a new pod, this one is perfect and looks spectacular. If I had wanted to get the gauges much tighter in the first place by using velcro, I wouldn't even have a need to post right now! Thanks again for a great product, and don't go through much trouble with your testing, because it really isn't a big problem :thumbsup:
 

alanw6

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pj_rage said:
To give you an idea of how hot it was, I couldn't touch the metal ring on the face of the gauge, unless I literally wanted to burn myself

::paris Hilton:: That's hot! :lol1:

pj_rage said:
Then again it is a little curious as to why only the lower one spit the gauge out and the upper one was still pretty tight.

The reason for this is the placement of the mounting rivets. The positioning of them is different in each pod. The upper pod has a rivet very close to the opening, and it "grabs" the gauge a little more firmly than the lower.

I replied to your PM btw, and will keep you posted on my "pod barbeque" this weekend.

Alan
 

mustang196718

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That was a great writeup, and it saved me tons of time even though this install had pretty much nothing to do with what i was doing. I was wiring my switches for my nitrous and wasn't sure what wire was hot when the ignition was on. This saved me lots of time and prodding around with a test light. Thanks alot for writing this, i appreciate the effort made to make certain installs easier on people in the future. :thumbsup:
 
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