Pictures of my center console

[iwannadie]

Just thought I would share a few pictures of my Ultragauge and my sirius radio now that I have them nicely mounted. They are angled to face me while in the driver seat and I can see everything perfectly with just a glance. The passenger can see the sirius screen or it swivels easy enough to turn it when needed. It also keeps the bright blue of the sirius screen low enough that I don't see it while driving. I want to hard wire that next and ditch the cig. adapter.

 

[Boostwerks.com]

Looks good.

Although I wouldn't reccomend driving that fast in the garage.

 

[hubs97xj]

What do you think of the Ultragauge? I have a Scangauge, and while it's pretty decent, it lacks a few functions I'd like to have.

 

[iwannadie]

The MPH are average for the trip not instant mph, that's on a separate gauge page .

So far I like the ultragauge, it has its quirks though. I have to double(triple) prime my fuel system due to the leaky check valve. Turning the key on/off/on/off/on confuses the ultragauge. It has a power on delay which after messing with has really helped. Before it would get confused and give error messages for all my gauges because it was cycling on and off so quick. Now I have a 90 second power on delay and all the gauges pop right up no problems. The buttons being on the back are a pain but I don't ever interact with it while driving, in fact I don't touch it at all now that it's mostly setup it just does its thing. Also, it doesn't have a removable cable so you can't easily take the screen with you or move it to another vehicle. Here in AZ it gets wicked hot in the XJ during the day and even with it low and away from the windshield the built in unit temp. warning(145* f) triggers all the time. I wish the cable plugged into the unit so you could remove it, makes no sense to hard wire it in. I would like to remove it for security, heat and also use it on other vehicles to scan for codes.

Granted, the double prime issue is mine not the ultragauge and the buttons are a pain but rarely used. I like the real time data it shows and also the stored data like average MPH and fuel used. Also for the price you can't beat it compared to the Scangauge. It is pretty cool to see my engine load % change as I go up a hill or hit a head wind or something.

 

[jawbreaker]

Does the ultraguage give you engine temp?

 

[jawbreaker]

Never mind, I looked it up and just ordered one. I was going to buy a temp guage for 20 bucks and this is much more for the money.

 

[iwannadie]

Well it uses the stock sending unit to get its information I would assume. If I wanted a dedicated coolant temp gauge I would get one with a different independent sender.

 

[hubs97xj]

These types of devices just read the data the PCM gets from the stock senders, but can also figure out a few other things the gauges can't tell you, and of course reading and clearing codes, sensor temps that aren't displayed, etc. Very handy little gadgets.

 

[iwannadie]

These types of devices just read the data the PCM gets from the stock senders, but can also figure out a few other things the gauges can't tell you, and of course reading and clearing codes, sensor temps that aren't displayed, etc. Very handy little gadgets.

No doubt, I like mine a lot. However if I was planning to add an additional coolant temp gauge I would want one that isn't using the stock sender. The ultragauge and the stock coolant temperature gauge show the same thing because they are using the same source...

 

[kdub41]

ok so on the ultraguage does it mess with anything? and i have a 96 cherokee classic. Also with the temp guage on the unit is different since it gives you precise numbers and not just white lines if you know what i mean? also the only wire that needs to be plugged in is the one going to the obd port right? and say if i take it out or unplug it, it doesnt mess with anything in the computer right?

 

[hubs97xj]

They just read the data going to the PCM, so no, they won't screw anything up. The stock gauges aren't terribly accurate, so I see different fuel levels and coolant temps, as an example (and I verified my coolant temps with an IR thermometer, and checked the resistance of the temp sensor per the FSM). They both draw their power directly through the OBD port, so there aren't any additional connections to make.

 

[kdub41]

so are the guages more accurate than the device?

 

[hubs97xj]

The factory gauges, at least on my junk, aren't terribly accurate. They're close enough, but not exact.

 

[kdub41]

so what im asking is that your new guage set up is better and more accurate?

 

[iwannadie]

so what im asking is that your new guage set up is better and more accurate?

It is nice seeing the coolant temp numerical reading rather than a gauge sweep. I can see precisely what temp which is hard to make out on a gauge if it is 215.5 or something odd.

The ultra gauge for me doesn't tap into the fuel sending unit though, I really was disappointed in that. I figured it would be able to pull that data no problem and use that along with other ultragauge features. It calculates time and distance until empty based on how you are driving which would be really cool to have that feature. You can manually enter the amount in your tank and click a few buttons to tell it when you fill up. I haven't tracked to see how accurate it is though yet.

 

[hubs97xj]

That's how the SG works as well. You can see fuel used, and distance to empty, but I haven't figured out if I can display fuel remaining. The calculations the SG makes have been within 4-5% across the last 4 fillups, so I know not to cut it that close. I don't believe the PCM monitors fuel level, which is presumably why the SG and UG can't read it.

The coolant temp is more accurate via the ScanGauge than my dash gauge, which is my main concern. I haven't bothered verifying intake air temp or voltage.