I have been wanting the GTR gauges for 2 years! I still have hope!

 

Alternative is an Android auto/carplay module and running torque or obd fusion from your built in screen. It definitely has lag compared to the GTR gauges, but still a decent alternative. I have a module sitting here waiting to be installed, going to test this option myself as well.

99% sure Frank shelved that project and put the knowledge towards this new endeavor.

 

I have OBDFusion (trying to diagnose a cold engine issue now) but that doesn't show oil pressure which, for most, is a forefront need for these aging engines.

After all this time I am sure the GTR stuff is axed. Too many logistical complications and variables. But, in the end, all we have at this point is a wing and a prayer.

And, with the prospect of the Apple Watch/ app/ equiv.- that would be easier to integrate for those who have, or are contemplating adding (me), CarPlay either via that Tesla thing or V-Line...

Time will tell...

 

The lack of an oil pressure gauge and corresponding OBD PID is frustrating, hence why I embarked on this journey which attempts to simplify the installation of an oil pressure gauge using readily available aftermarket parts and tools that can be purchased off Amazon: https://www.myg37.com/forums/audio-v...-pressure.html

I would have started this years ago but the GTR Gauges gave me some hope that others would solve the Rubix Cube. Once I saw Frank wrestling with PCB builds and BLE Sensor Servers, my fears came to fruition. Just too much trouble to build in production.

Why not just have a pressure sensor vs a "switch" that is Boolean and only tells you when your motor is cooked at 5psi? Older cars always had oil pressure sensors and gauges. When did manufactures move away from this and go to the "yep, you are screwed" Y/N light? Now we have 3/4s of the G/Z owners laying in bed at night wondering if tomorrow is the day their gallery gaskets fail.

Maybe it's a daunting task anymore as the 370Z had a great oppty to add one, but instead Nissan decided to install a third clock in its place. Maybe that's my next project, a triple a-pillar gauge pod with clocks showing the time in Amsterdam, China and the East Coast so I am fully prepared in the car to take calls from coworkers and trade shares on foreign exchanges. #LifeHack.


1970 Chevelle Dash.


Wasted Opportunity.

 

That's what started the project, my clock was about 1 hour slow over a week.

I did get a 3d print to fit the area before, to add the guts of an Amazon OBD2 gauge. Here's the original gauge:
that one isn't specifically available any more, but there are tons like it. The main reason it's a PITA to get in the dash is that the control button is a three way switch on top of the housing - left, right, click. And that MFer is not really removable from the circuit board without destroying the board. So, a 3d housing such that the board can sit at 90* to the screen.

This 3D print needs a lot of work to go in the car - it's a very rough print (its a prototype, don't judge).

 

According to a Mazda engineer I talked to in the early aughts, all the Japanese companies went away from those and from linear temperature gauges since any time the needle moved the customer would bring the car in to be 'fixed'. So temp sensors are now cold-OK-already overheated, and oil pressure indicators just plain went away.

Heck, our 2015 CX5 didn't even have a temp sensor - just a light when it was too cold, and I guess a CEL if overheated. Speed, RPM, gas was it. Consider your average driver.

IMHO, with *everything* going to digital dashes, it would be easy enough to add a programmed interface that has all the sensor data IE a 'track' interface to go along with the 'sport' setting button. :roll:

I come from the aircraft world where every darn thing has a gauge or indicator.

I've been working on a gauge A-pillar pod idea for a few years, and it just occurred to me that I could easy-button the whole thing with a 3D printer. Now to learn 3D design in all my spare time...

 

Yeah that's true about oil pressure. It's kind of crazy how much the values jump with basic acceleration. I still have to get the pressure switch replaced with a sensor so Frank can set that gauge up for me as well in the GTR gauges. Until then, these are more or less the only useful gauges I can display without adding more sensors to the transmission, differential and stuff. Something I'll revisit once I get past my list of upcoming upgrades this spring. I did change the brake pedal to show fuel economy/remaining distance.

 

That makes sense. Similar to why transmission dip sticks went by the wayside and now oil dip sticks are also disappearing.

Eliminate "shoot yourself in the foot" issues. I thought about a gauge pod, but when I see one of those I want to see a boost gauge! Everyone will want to race you once the gauge pod is visible.

"Dude, chill out, just monitoring my gallery gaskets" :-)

True about aircraft. Gauges are survival in that world. No tow trucks or AAA to call.

 

This was my thought as well, so I started looking for something that could display any/all of the params I wanted to see without needing multiple gauges. First instinct was to get in touch with Parts Shop Max about the Digital Vitals Meter they released 15 or so years ago, turns out they recently discontinued it... Ended up going with some Defi unit, its meant to arrive tomorrow so I'll post some photos if it does.

 

I was reading that it can be 100-120 PSI when the car initially starts then it drops to 17 or so PSI once idling. I can see where that level of fluctuation may freak people out that don't understand.

The top 3 from your view are setup as different dashboards in my OBDLink App, but if I'm not mistaken, the Transmission Temp PID is not in the same PID network as Coolant and Oil Temp so they can't be displayed on the same dashboard.

Intake Air, Coolant, Transmission and Oil Temps are what I want to monitor.

I think I can fix the different PID network issue within the Ecutek app.

I searched high and low for a BLE based oil temp sensor that would work and be cost effective, but they are only rated to industrial temp (85C) vs. automotive, and most required their own app, which wasn't ideal.

 

Its too bad you cant change labels on these gauges, could repurpose a bunch of them for other things. The other thing that has crazy fluctuation and a dead zone in the middle is coolant temp. Frank mentioned the arrow doesn't move at all for like a 20-30 degree range because it would also freak people out, they smoothed the curve to the max.

 

This was the solution I landed on for multi-sensor monitoring without the need for multiple gauges, Defi Advance FD. I love the look of 4-5 Defis on the dashboard, but it just doesn't fit the vibe of what I'm going for with the G so this was my compromise.

 

My apillar pod will be for a pressure gauge. I can't recall which one I got at the moment, but it mostly matches the stock gauges. Also lights up red for a 'warning' mode but that is intended to be a high-warning; I'll have to do some transistorized trickery to get the opposite to happen (backlight red when below a setpoint).

Edit: found it Prosport.
And I had a thought that instead of doing reverse logic, I could set it to have red backlighting normally and have the warning light output just run the white backlight via single transistor, and have the setpoint appropriately low.

Edit 2: any recommendations on good 3d editing software that doesn't cost a mint (IE no autocad) and will output appropriately to an additive 3d printer?

 

You could just use blender. I've only 3D printed three things in my life, but used Blender for 2 of them and Cinema4D for the third. Blender is completely free and lots of youtube support on how to use it for 3D prints.

 

Still needs a ton of work, but here's how it fits in the fascia panel.



I need my wife to go out of town for a day so I can use the dremel in the dining room lol - too damn cold in the garage.