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Old 05-05-2009, 03:02 PM   #15 (permalink)
sandcruiser
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Tamarindo, Costa Rica
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80 - '91 Toyota Land Cruiser
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if you aren't going to adjust any settings at all on the motor, the EGT gauge would really only serve to tell you if something is very wrong, and might not be worthwhile.

The only other advantage to the knowing your EGTs is knowing how long to idle down after driving to give your turbo a chance to cool. If you push the motor hard, then shut it right off, you can get coking of oil on the turbo bearings- which will shorten the life of the turbo. Knowing the EGTs will let you shut down the instant it cools to a reasonable level. "Reasonable" is open to some debate- I figure anything below 400*F is fine. Some folks insist that 200 or 300 is the magic number. Idling to cool the turbo wastes fuel, but extends the life of your turbo, your head, the valves, and even the motor oil. A faulty turbo will waste far more fuel than the amount your motor consumes at idle for 30 seconds every now and then.

A boost gauge should be cheap(ish) and will give you an idea as to how hard the motor is working... ie: how much load it is experiencing. With practice, knowing the boost level should help you gain mileage, I think.

I like gauges, so I find it easy to justify installing as many as I can. But if you aren't likely to make changes in the fuel delivery system, EGTs aren't the most pressing thing to monitor.
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