Econometer/Vacuum Gauge Installation Guide

[cfg83]

Johnny Mullet -

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

Wow. The old vacuum gauge I was using was an older one offered by JC Whitney and it did not even have a number scale on it, just a green "Economy" and a red "Power" display in it. I had no issues with it after 10 years of use in multiple vehicles until the needle fell off.

I ordered a couple of these last week and swapped one of them in :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/7771-post59.html

Here is a vacuum gauge from the 1970's that did a similar thing to your speedometer suggestion :

MILEAGE MONITOR (vacuum gauge)
Auto Vacume gauge (vacuum gage) - Save gas and your engine

I got more than one because they're cheap and I want to be able to offer the option to my friends and family if they get the hyper/ecomodding/miling bug. The fellow I bought them from was also very nice. I think it is more accurate than the original one I got, but it also has an error. It is reading at the upper boundary of the "idle" zone when I am idling. As you can see in the above picture, the "off position" of the red needle is not in the white/zero area. That's what mine looks like when the engine is off. Since I have more than one, I was able to compare them. The other one I have is in the "off zone". Sooooooooooooooo, I plan to swap in the "accurate" one and see if I can turn the dial/background of the other one so that it is also reading accurately. This is actually stuff I like to do, i.e. get cheapy things and make them work better.

I still like the cheapy JC-Whitney one I originally got because the dial is more responsive (270 degrees versus less than 90 degrees). I might make my own custom "dial backing" if I have enough time to recalibrate/remap against a professional vacuum gauge.

Even when it's "broken", I am happy, because I learn something, .

CarloSW2

[Johnny Mullet]

That is pretty cool! I do miss the "Full Swing" of my older gauge, but I never order anything on the internet and like purchasing from local businesses. I could not find one like that anywhere local, but I already got used to the Sunpro and is seems to be a nice, quality gauge.

Thanks for sharing.

[azlar]

All gauges are inaccurate, as Gene Berg once said... For diagnostics, you have to spend some cash for the good ones. For general driving, you just need to plug them in and get used to the readings. If it's a lot higher or lower than normal, start checking things out, otherwise the engine is doing as well as it did when you installed the device.

I have a half-dozen or so gauges in my Vanagon. Each tells a different story, but after you learn the car, you can figure out the best methods for efficiency.

Laurence

[Johnny Mullet]

My bulb just burned out on my vacuum gauge, so I am going to pop in a new one tomorrow. I was thinking of using a red or blue bulb instead. Maybe.

One thing good about this gauge is it will warn you of any engine problems right away! I had a vacuum line break on me while I was driving and my gauge was acting funny. It was fluctuating rapidly at idle and was not reading right when cruising. After fixing the line, it's all back to normal.

[stormbird]

Hi there

I have a 20 year old Volvo 240 automatic 2 litre 4 cyl , the gearing seems quite good 2000 rpm = <>60 mph although it is only a 4 speed box.

Just done 610 miles , 430 on highway speeds around 60 mph rest town stuff but little congestion it returned 29mpg.

Would this gauge be worth fitting as I could only use it for my throttle setting and not when to change gear ?

regards Paul

[Johnny Mullet]

Yes, it helps you maintain a constant, even throttle at cruising speeds and will help you save fuel.

[azlar]

Yep, it's not only good for cruising speeds, but can help you maintain a steady acceleration to speed. Around town it really helps hone your eco-driving skills.

My '82 242 has one in a stock location in the center console. Looks good and is easy to read.

[stormbird]

Hi guys

Thanks for reply , looking for one now.

Azlar - where did you take your feed from at the engine end , I don't want to upset any of the sensors/devices that may need the vacumn to work properly.

regards Paul

[Johnny Mullet]

The best place to patch in a vacuum gauge is a close source to the engine intake manifold. The closer to the engine, the better. Sometimes you can find a plugged port in the intake where you can remove the plug and install the adapter from the vacuum gauge in it's place. Do not patch into the brake booster vacuum source since this will allow the brake pedal to become hard after shutting off the engine.

[azlar]

Originally Posted by stormbird

Azlar - where did you take your feed from at the engine end , I don't want to upset any of the sensors/devices that may need the vacumn to work properly.

regards Paul

As long as your connections are tight, sensors should be okay. Mine has a t-fitting spliced into the line feeding the ECU. Was easy to run it back into the cabin without too many twists and turns. Doesn't seem to affect the computer.

Another good spot would be straight off the intake manifold. The port on the left is for the powerbrakes, the one on the right has a reduced diameter. Might be okay, but the middle is a full size connection. Just put a T in there and run with it.

The mounting was in an unused spot in the console. Bezel broke the other day, so need to find a new one.. This gauge doesn't have numbers, but if you drive it for awhile it will still give you good driving knowledge. I should probably calibrate it one of these days using my tune-up vacuum gauge, but this works fine.