Gauges

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 60 degrees, high 83 degrees, mostly clear skies

I had some really tough chores to take care of this morning: cleaning the air conditioner filter and checking the RV battery water level. When those tiring tasks were finished and I had recuperated, we decided to take a ride west of here to Reform. At Reform, we turned north and drove through some beautiful, rolling countryside. There seems to be very little farming taking place in this area, with woods and pastures making up most of the land. In addition, there aren't that many people living along the road we were on. By the time we returned home, the wanderlust was finished, at least for today.

Later in the day, I went to the library, then decided I would cook. I had a hankering for pizza, so I went to Sam's Club and picked up one that they cooked for me while I was waiting. We like their pizzas, and the price is not bad. Late in the evening, I wiped down the lower half of the RV to get the bug and bird stuff, as well as plain old dirt off the sides. I'll finish the top half tomorrow. More rain should follow once I finish.

When we bought our truck for pulling our RV, we decided to add some gauges to help us monitor the performance of the diesel engine. I did a lot of research and decided I needed to know what certain functions were doing at any time. In addition, we needed to have the gauges placed where we could see them easily. The location decided on was the pillar post on the driver's side. This location does not distract from being able to see the road, yet presents the gauges with good visibility.

The functions we decided to monitor included transmission temperature, exhaust gas temperature, and engine boost. The transmission temperature gauge is self-explanatory in that it shows what the temperature of the automatic transmission is doing. This is very important when climbing or using the transmission to help slow the truck and RV down when descending from a higher elevation.

The exhaust gas temperature (EGT) gauge is used to determine how hard the engine is working. If too little air or too much fuel is going to the engine, conditions that can be caused by the load the engine is under, severe damage can be caused. This gauge is monitored most when climbing. If we find the EGT is getting too high, we can slow down or pull to the side and let the engine cool down to prevent damage.

The boost gauge measures the amount of air above atmospheric pressure being taken in by the engine. Diesels live and die by the amount of air available to feed the engine. The more air available, the better the engine runs and the more efficient it is.

This information is based on my understanding of the technologies and experience with using the gauges. I have used the gauges to keep our transmission temperature in a safe range, prevented the engine from working too hard, and saved diesel fuel by keeping the EGT and boost within certain levels. By no means am I an expert on these subjects, but I think anyone who owns a diesel needs these gauges to accurately monitor these parameters.

I hope this post wasn't too technical.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Eutaw, Alabama: Home Of The Black Belt Folk Roots Festival

Not all who wander are lost.