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Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: Pamela & Mike on October 21, 2017, 05:51:52 pm

Title: Isuzu/ Power Tech Generator guages
Post by: Pamela & Mike on October 21, 2017, 05:51:52 pm
I made this upgrade to our 10KW powertech earlier this year..............
You should post your project in a new thread showing all the details and some photos!

Here you go.

Our power unit is an Isuzu 3LD1 so if you have a different power unit you may need to check the size of your ports, other than this the basic info should be about the same.  On our unit the oil and water ports are 1/8" NPT, you will need to look around on your power unit and find the ports that will work for you. We went on line shopping and found a set of digital gauges that had some good reviews. Make sure that the sensors for the gauges are the proper size for the ports in your power unit.

Remove the port plugs and install the sensors in place of plugs. 

I had 2 conductor 18g shielded wire that I split out and one wire went to each sensor.  The hard part was to rout the wire up to the main wire loom and through the floor and into the dash so it blended in.

Here is where most will need to shop for a gauge mount. Rather than doing that I set up and milled one out, it has to be powder coated so it will match the dash, will do this next week when the oven is available. These pics. are so you get the idea as to what was done and to where we liked the view.

We took the power for the gauges from the on/off switch for the generator. This location energizes the gauges when the generator is running. You may want to pick up power from a different location that suits you. The ground is tied into the system ground buss.

Pamela & Mike

Title: Re: Isuzu/ Power Tech Generator guages
Post by: Chuck & Jeannie on October 21, 2017, 06:00:45 pm
Cool project!  Will emulate (once I find the Tuit Bill Chaplin gave me).  Is that water temp port before coolant goes through the radiator, or after?

As you mentioned, for those of us who don't have a lathe  ( :'( )  many gauge sets include a black or chrome under-dash mounting plate.
Title: Re: Isuzu/ Power Tech Generator guages
Post by: Pamela & Mike on October 21, 2017, 06:11:12 pm
Is that water temp port before coolant goes through the radiator, or after?

That is the port that is in the thermostat housing.  Before the radiator

Mike
Title: Re: Isuzu/ Power Tech Generator guages
Post by: Don & Tys on October 21, 2017, 06:24:00 pm
Unrelated to the gages (sorry :'( ), in the 2nd to last picture, do I spy bamboo flooring? Looks good!
Don
Title: Re: Isuzu/ Power Tech Generator guages
Post by: Pamela & Mike on October 21, 2017, 06:27:18 pm
Unrelated to the gages (sorry :'( ), in the 2nd to last picture, do I spy bamboo flooring? Looks good!
Don

Yes and Thanks we love it. A lot easer to keep clean than the avocado carpet especially in the bathroom.
Pamela
Title: Re: Isuzu/ Power Tech Generator guages
Post by: Pamela & Mike on October 21, 2017, 06:41:05 pm
in the 2nd to last picture, do I spy bamboo flooring?

Don,
Definitely unrelated but here are a couple of better shots. Thanks for the advice.

Pamela & Mike
Title: Re: Isuzu/ Power Tech Generator guages
Post by: FourTravelers on October 21, 2017, 08:37:22 pm
P&M,
Thanks for the  post and the write up. Let us know how it works out, I am interested to see if your temps read the same when stopped as when traveling.

Here is the post from earlier this year when I installed the gauges on the Kubota.

Installing PowerTech Gauges (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=31041.0)
Title: Re: Isuzu/ Power Tech Generator guages
Post by: RRadio on October 22, 2017, 02:28:48 pm
I'm in the process of doing this same project currently. I already have the gauges installed and today I'm gonna run the wires and hopefully put the transducers on the engine. I bought VDO "Vision" analog gauges to match the existing instruments in my coach. They're really expensive though. I built a walnut dashboard to match my console between the front seats. These genset gauges are the final addition as far as I know. I already installed a full size Cobra 29 CB radio with weather alert, LED thermistor outside air temperature indicator, LED voltmeter for the coach battery, USB power jack, and 12 volt cigar lighter socket in the new walnut dashboard. I removed the TV sets from my coach and I have my printer in the area where the front TV used to be with the new walnut dashboard across the top part of the former TV opening. I'm gonna wire my genset gauges directly to a 12 volt DC source so they'll always be on even when the genset isn't running. I have the Onan (Cummins) diesel genset so it'll probably be different than the Isuzu. The VDO analog gauges say to use 14 gauge wire and a dedicated ground to ensure an accurate reading. I promised some people on this forum that I'd post photos when I get the new dashboard done, and I will ...eventually :)