Good 'ol Temperature Gauge : Yes or No?

NutsNBolts · 20th March 2010, 15:54

What next, they might remove the coolant itself! Just kidding.

In my Uno, the alternator belt broke twice and the rising temperature was an indicator to hurry things up and reach someplace safely. Interesting thing is, even with rising temperature, it used to give approx 10 mins of driving time prior to reaching the red zone. Similar indicator is present in Linea along with a visual warning. Manula is clear about what to do in case of rising temperatures. Wonder whether the car manufacturers who have chosen to remove the gauge, have removed the relevant entry from manual as well.

Gansan · 20th March 2010, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Most modern cars now come with only a single warning lamp.

And people are making fun of the nano for having only three wheel nuts!

BTW my Alto has a temperature gauge, but I understand that in the event of complete coolant loss, it will not work! Now of what use is that?

rr_zen · 20th March 2010, 19:53

@Gansan: This is news to me about the temp gauge not working in the event of complete coolant loss. I was under the assumption that the temp gauge would indicate the engine temperature irrespective of whether there is coolant or not.

Btw, you are just one post away from becoming a Senior TBHPian. Congrats !

Gansan · 20th March 2010, 19:57

@ rr_zen

Thank you! What I say about coolant loss is discussed somewhere in the technical section, I will try to locate it.

speedmiester · 20th March 2010, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Most newer cars have a "high temperature warning light". This is independent, and over and above, the check engine light.

Glad to hear that you prevented your engine from getting fried though

The thing about the analog meter is that one can take precaution as soon as you notice the needle rise above the half way mark.

I am not quite sure at what point does the high temperature warning light comes on.

GTO · 21st March 2010, 18:52

^^ Absolutely. Basically, what we are all agreeing upon is, we'd like a progressive meter that shows the exact temperature & fluctuations (allowing the driver to act accordingly), rather than a simple warning light that blinks only when the engine is in the red zone.

avinash_m · 21st March 2010, 19:13

I can vouch for this one no-matter how modern the car is. Had it not been for the temp-gauge indicating the gradual rise of temperature on the day of the dyno, my VTEC would have had some serious damage. Touchwood!

GoldenParadox · 2nd April 2010, 00:50

I once had an LPG gas kit installed on my Ikon 1.6 (a colossal mistake, as I later found out, and one founded on some exceptionally terrible advice). The first time I took her out onto the highway was on a 100-km trip from Kochi to Haripad ... petrol tank empty, wallet empty, car full, gas tank full ... about a third into the trip, a loud bang came from under the hood, and the game was on!

Since filling petrol was out of the question, all I had from that point on was the temperature gauge. I learned quickly that, once the needle rose, the bang would sound, and I started pacing the car to the mood swings of the needle.

I took 1.5 times the normal driving time, but that needle took me home...

Heck, I can spend 5L on a car, how much will a gauge cost extra? At the least, the discerning customer ought to be presented with the option of being able to pay for it if he deems it necessary!

What say folks?

Gansan · 19th April 2010, 14:44

A nephew of mine recently upgraded to a new Ritz ZXi from M800 and brought the car home to show me. Had a wonderful TD and the car was very very lively and a breeze to drive. But guess what? I could not find the temperature gauge! When I questioned my nephew sitting in the front passenger seat he was stumped too and could not answer me! I feel somewhat uneasy to drive a car without a temperature gauge.

hell_rider · 7th May 2010, 21:04

absolutely essential.

way back in some thread right here on team-bhp, i had mentioned Honda was cheap in doing away with the temp. gauge. I was the recipient of some some criticism for calling Honda cheap in that thread.

glad to see many fellow members still value the temp. gauge.

musicmanaman · 7th May 2010, 21:13

Yes, that's my vote. How else would one know if the engine is overheating.

p'arth · 5th July 2010, 15:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan

@ rr_zen

BTW my Alto has a temperature gauge, but I understand that in the event of complete coolant loss, it will not work! Now of what use is that?

It works. Once the coolant started leaking in my Alto (there was dripping on the underside of the air contditioner) and within some time the coolant tank was empty. The temperature needle started going up and engine performance sank.

Luckily had a 1 litre bottle of water ...filled it into the coolant tank, idled the engine for 10 mins (so that water gets taken into the radiator) and then drove off to the nearest MASS.

After 10 mins of idling the temperature needle came back to normal - helped take a informed decision. Else I would have had to call a pickup van

msaudf · 6th July 2010, 01:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by p'arth

It works. Once the coolant started leaking in my Alto (there was dripping on the underside of the air contditioner) and within some time the coolant tank was empty. The temperature needle started going up and engine performance sank.

Luckily had a 1 litre bottle of water ...filled it into the coolant tank, idled the engine for 10 mins (so that water gets taken into the radiator) and then drove off to the nearest MASS.

After 10 mins of idling the temperature needle came back to normal - helped take a informed decision. Else I would have had to call a pickup van

@P'rath: I'm afraid Gansan is correct in his statement,

you were experiencing coolant loss, that means there still was coolant left in your system and your gauge was showing the temperature of whatever was left in the system. Gansan was talking about a situation where there is no coolant at all. the gauge shows the temperature of the coolant, if there is no coolant at all its got no story to tell you.

i hope i am correct if not any team bhpians feel free to shed your knowledge.

cheers
Saud.

jonathanarmy · 6th September 2010, 10:54

Well, my dad owns a Tata Indica DLS 2002 and just this summer while I was driving it at home in Bangalore - the temp gauge went into the red (redlining my drive!). We later found that the fan motor had packed up. Wonder what would have happened had I not had the temp gauge?

arcotsrinivas · 20th September 2010, 19:03

I faced a problem with my ford escort (sold in 2007) where the engine was over heating and I used to stop the car after looking at the gauge showing HOT,
Later got the water pump replaced and the issue was resolved,so if there was no gauge it might have led to major problems.

View Poll Results: Is the temperature gauge a necessity?
Yes	447	92.93%
No	34	7.07%
Voters: 481. You may not vote on this poll

20th March 2010, 15:54	#91
NutsNBolts BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Jammu Posts: 817 Thanked: 41 Times View My Garage	What next, they might remove the coolant itself! Just kidding. In my Uno, the alternator belt broke twice and the rising temperature was an indicator to hurry things up and reach someplace safely. Interesting thing is, even with rising temperature, it used to give approx 10 mins of driving time prior to reaching the red zone. Similar indicator is present in Linea along with a visual warning. Manula is clear about what to do in case of rising temperatures. Wonder whether the car manufacturers who have chosen to remove the gauge, have removed the relevant entry from manual as well.
	() Thanks

20th March 2010, 19:53	#93
rr_zen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 1,799 Thanked: 400 Times View My Garage	@Gansan: This is news to me about the temp gauge not working in the event of complete coolant loss. I was under the assumption that the temp gauge would indicate the engine temperature irrespective of whether there is coolant or not. Btw, you are just one post away from becoming a Senior TBHPian. Congrats !
	() Thanks

20th March 2010, 19:57	#94
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,535 Thanked: 5,558 Times	@ rr_zen Thank you! What I say about coolant loss is discussed somewhere in the technical section, I will try to locate it.
	() Thanks

21st March 2010, 18:52	#96
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,534 Thanked: 300,732 Times View My Garage	^^ Absolutely. Basically, what we are all agreeing upon is, we'd like a progressive meter that shows the exact temperature & fluctuations (allowing the driver to act accordingly), rather than a simple warning light that blinks only when the engine is in the red zone.
	() Thanks

21st March 2010, 19:13	#97
avinash_m BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 367 Thanked: 470 Times	I can vouch for this one no-matter how modern the car is. Had it not been for the temp-gauge indicating the gradual rise of temperature on the day of the dyno, my VTEC would have had some serious damage. Touchwood!
	() Thanks

2nd April 2010, 00:50	#98
GoldenParadox BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 57 Thanked: 4 Times View My Garage	I once had an LPG gas kit installed on my Ikon 1.6 (a colossal mistake, as I later found out, and one founded on some exceptionally terrible advice). The first time I took her out onto the highway was on a 100-km trip from Kochi to Haripad ... petrol tank empty, wallet empty, car full, gas tank full ... about a third into the trip, a loud bang came from under the hood, and the game was on! Since filling petrol was out of the question, all I had from that point on was the temperature gauge. I learned quickly that, once the needle rose, the bang would sound, and I started pacing the car to the mood swings of the needle. I took 1.5 times the normal driving time, but that needle took me home... Heck, I can spend 5L on a car, how much will a gauge cost extra? At the least, the discerning customer ought to be presented with the option of being able to pay for it if he deems it necessary! What say folks?
	() Thanks

19th April 2010, 14:44	#99
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,535 Thanked: 5,558 Times	A nephew of mine recently upgraded to a new Ritz ZXi from M800 and brought the car home to show me. Had a wonderful TD and the car was very very lively and a breeze to drive. But guess what? I could not find the temperature gauge! When I questioned my nephew sitting in the front passenger seat he was stumped too and could not answer me! I feel somewhat uneasy to drive a car without a temperature gauge.
	() Thanks

7th May 2010, 21:04	#100
hell_rider BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 538 Thanked: 61 Times	absolutely essential. way back in some thread right here on team-bhp, i had mentioned Honda was cheap in doing away with the temp. gauge. I was the recipient of some some criticism for calling Honda cheap in that thread. glad to see many fellow members still value the temp. gauge.
	() Thanks

7th May 2010, 21:13	#101
musicmanaman BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: kolkata Posts: 927 Thanked: 25 Times	Yes, that's my vote. How else would one know if the engine is overheating.
	() Thanks

6th September 2010, 10:54	#104
jonathanarmy BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Mhow Posts: 30 Thanked: 6 Times	Well, my dad owns a Tata Indica DLS 2002 and just this summer while I was driving it at home in Bangalore - the temp gauge went into the red (redlining my drive!). We later found that the fan motor had packed up. Wonder what would have happened had I not had the temp gauge?
	() Thanks

20th September 2010, 19:03	#105
arcotsrinivas BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 65 Thanked: 96 Times View My Garage	I faced a problem with my ford escort (sold in 2007) where the engine was over heating and I used to stop the car after looking at the gauge showing HOT, Later got the water pump replaced and the issue was resolved,so if there was no gauge it might have led to major problems.
	() Thanks