I have a 13B aftermarket turbo conversion. There are no monitoring gauges other than the water temperature gauge and oil pressure 'gauge' (just an OK/Not OK warning pretending to be a gauge).

When I get search working for me I'll have a look to see how I can best put engine monitoring gauges in the cockpit. I'd look to monitor, say, oil temp, oil pressure, coolant temp and turbo boost.

How easy is it to fit these gauges and associated sensors?

Thanks for any help.

Ian
ps apologies if this has already been asked, search isn't working for me

 

Oil pressure and Temp would require a "pedestal".(the thing that the filter sits on) That has threaded bungs for the sensors.
The coolant gauge would require a place to get an accurate reading of the engine.Some guys like th back of the waterpump but that reqires a drill and tap to put a sender in.You can put a sender in the top rad hose ( adapter) but it will not give you accurate reading if the car is just starting up.
The gauge for the turbo would need Vacuum and boost.You can get that off a nipple on the manifold or T the sensor into a hose.

Personally I like the electronic gauges with Sensors that are placed on the engine over the mechanical Gauges which run a hose from the Engine to inside the car to the gauge.
I have never been fond of hot liquids inside the car.(oil or coolant).
There are many choices of gauges,so that would be more of a personal preference.

 

I suppose there is some reason to do both, but I've never found it necessary to monitor oil and coolant temp. Also, you said it's an aftermarket turbo conversion....what ECU was used?

 

Spec is:
Fully Rebuilt & Street-Ported RX7 Engine,
Guys, thanks.

APEX-I Power FC

I think the Mazda ECU is gone, although I'm not sure as the instrument binnacle shows coolant temp, fuel level and [ok/not ok] oil pressure as I thought these had to go through the ECU but I may be wrong).

Ian
Engine spec:
link with pic: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...ec_07Oct13.docSee link for picture (I can't save it as a link)

 

No, none of the gauge inputs go through the ECU. And if you have a PFC, then your stock ECU is gone. You should also have a 'Commander'...a hand-held controller/monitor for the PFC. On that you can monitor many things, including coolant temp, boost, knock levels, injector duty, intake air temps as well as conduct sensor checks and other minor tweeking.
FYI:
*The stock temperature gauge isn't linear. It's worthless and should be ignored for a decent aftermarket temperature gauge...either coolant or oil...or both if you want. Or you can monitor it on the PFC commander, but I'm old and use to the old-fashion sweep gauge for "at a glance" readings.
*The stock oil pressure gauge is prone to sketchy readings, especially at idle. The oil pressure sensor is located just below the oil filter pedestal. It has a single spade connection. The jumpy readings are often due to a dirty connection. At idle the signal is weakest and can't get through. When you rev the engine a bit, pressure rises and signal is stronger...so it can appear "on/off". Try cleaning that connection, maybe with a little sandpaper and see what you get.
*Can't open the picture in your link. But I'm VERY skeptical of this Mishimoto custom fan shroud. The OEM fans and shroud are damn hard to beat for reliability and performance.

 

Sgtblue: Thanks

A quick look on eBay gives me "Apexi FCC ZG commander for power fc ecu Mazda FD3S RX7 RX-7 13B-REW" for less than $200 that says "In Monitor Mode, the Commander can display up to 10 parameters of data in real time. Monitor Mode can display: Engine RPM, Ignition Timing, Vehicle Speed, Air Flow Voltage (Pressure Sensor Voltage), Injector Duty Cycle, Boost. Knocking Level, Battery Voltage, Intake Air Temp, Water Temp".

This might not be the one that I want, but at least it's a start.

Alas, I have to admit that I'm not good with computers and associated gadgets. I was 15 when the first electronic calculators came out and I didn't see a computer until I went to college at 18 (well, I didn't see it, I just saw one of 50 time-share terminals as the beast was so expensive and precious that we undergrads weren't allowed to see it; now we've got far more computing power in our pockets). Besides which, I have a magnetic aura that makes electronics malfunction when i get within 5 yds of them.

 

BTW I assume that the RX8 standard OBDII socket is little use, but I'm happy to be corrected.