wlofton

I'm in the process of getting my first Diesel and it is all stock with no Gauges at all.
What would you say be the first to get and all.

Busboy

I would go with the "A" pillar cluster of three gauges from Genos Garage. Boost pressure, EGT/exhaust gas temp and Fuel pressure. Welcome to the site.

wlofton

thanks

Dr.Dizzle

I agree! My first three were fuel pressure, boost pressure and exhaust gas temp gauges.

jrs_dodge_diesel

Welcome to DTR!

I bought my EGT, transmission temperature, and turbo boost pressure gauges from Diesel Manor. I also bought from them the 3 gauge A pillar pod with speaker hole and a replacement transmission cooler line (this had a sensor fitting on it). My fourth gauge is a fuel pressure gauge mounted down by the floor, but I don't remember where I bought it.

I went with the Isspro EV series gauges since I think they match the look of the factory dash gauges the closest.

Fuel pressure - I used a mechanical pressure gauge that taps into the VP44 inlet. I also used a needle valve that serves as a cutoff for the gauge line, and help reduce pressure spikes. The VP44 puts out a lot of pressure spikes due to the way it works. Electrical pressure sensors don't last very long without some sort of pressure isolator.

EGT probe gets more accurate reading when it is mounted in the exhaust manifold (pre-turbo). This does involve drilling and tapping the hole in the manifold. You have to be careful and be sure you get all of the drill shavings cleaned up as best you can to keep that stuff out of the turbo.

Don't know if you have an automatic transmission or not, but if you do I highly recommend you replace the hot line that goes between the cooler and transmission with a new one that include the sensor fitting. You'll be able to measure the hottest fluid that your transmission is generating. A pan mounted temperature probe typically sees the coolest fluid. Keeping the temperatures down in an automatic increases the longevity of both the fluid and the components in the transmission.

rightwinger

Even though the price on Glowshift guages is tempting, the hassle and trouble you will have with them makes it not worth it. Spend the money on a reputable brand and then you will only have to install them once, as opposed to replacing guages and parts numerous times.....Honestly the Issipro guages I have now was only about 100 bucks more, had I k nown this in the begining I would of paid 300 bucks more just to not have the trouble I had with GS guages....

Tallguy67

There is another way you can go with gauges, it isn't for everyone but I have been really happy. I have an Edge Insight and it is a digital gauge pack. It plugs into the OBD2 port and can report to you on everything that your ECM knows about. Things like tranny temp, coolant temp, engine load, boost pressure and so on. It also allows for add on sensors. I have purchased but haven't yet installed a fuel pressure and oil pressure sensor and you can also add and EGT (exhaust gas temp) sensor. If you get the Insight CTS (color touch screen) you can display the data for 9 sensors on the screen all at once. The screen is a little smaller than an iPhone and you can mount it in lots of places. I went down the easy road and used the suction cup mount that comes with the unit and installed it in about 15 minutes. It sits just above my dash by the left window pillar.

Midnite

It's probably worth asking--what year of truck do you have, and how is it configured?

For the 12 valve trucks a fuel pressure gauge isn't nearly as important as it is on a 24 valve truck. For a truck with manual transmission, a tranny fluid temp gauge isn't nearly as important as it is on a truck with an auto.

My point is that the gauges you should get are entirely dependent on your specific truck.

cali4niacoalrlr

Most people get the pillar mounted gauges unless you get something like the Edge w/ attitude and a CTS where it will display up to 9 readings, although you have to buy all the sensors individually. But you can also put two on the top of the steering column and could get up to five and still look factory if done right....

But the gauges depend on what you are doing like Midnite said.... Fuel pressure is a MUST on these trucks followed by the EGT, and then auto's need trans temp, and turbo boost level is good to have on either....