Sebaruwrx

Has anyone installed a Autometer EGT and thermocouple with the Banks Six-Gun Speedloader Combo?

I understand the Banks EGT comes with a wiring harness that plugs into the Tuner for the Banks EGT gauge. Has anyone used this wiring harness with a non-Banks EGT gage?

I want to avoid having to install two thermocouples in the exhaust manifold for the sake of having matching Automoter Ultralite Gauges.

I haven't installed my Six-Gun + Speedloader and Autometer Gauges yet? Does anyone have any pointers on installing the center mount (below stereo in dash) Autometer gage housing?

Thanks

myglide

Go to www.Genosgarage.com then find this gauge mount there is a PDF file on how to mount it.

cquestad

I believe one probe is only good for one guage unless it has the proper switch. I would check directly with Banks to make sure their EGT limiting function would work with the wireing scheme you are suggesting.

Car_nut57

If you want to only use one probe, you will have to use the Banks gauges. The output signal from the Banks Six-Gun/Speed Loader is different than the thermocuople for other gauges.

SuperGewl

Yes this is correct. The gauge that banks uses does NOT even actually receive the EGT signal. The EGT actually hooks up to the Six Gun and then they send a different signal to the gauge. Yo don't have to install the gauge with the Six Gun, but you do have to install the EGT to use the Speed Loader

kmadsen

I talked to Banks Technical Support today, as I have a combination of the Six Gun and a SpeedLoader. When the Autometer gauges came in, it included their own Type K thermocouple. Banks support told me that I would have to wire the Autometer gauge to the thermocouple (Banks) driving the SpeedLoader in order for this to work. I asked them specifically if the thermocouple would be capable fo handling two loads and they assured me that it would. Autometer told me that their gauge can be driven by any Type K thermocouple, and according to Banks, that is what they supply. Because its COLDER THAN HECK here now, I'm not out trying to drill holes in the exhaust manifold to test their combined theories. But, my exposure to electrical theory tells me that two loads on the same circuit changes the resistance and will probably cause me problems in the long run.. I'll need to complete the experiment to tell for sure.

In the meantime, I just have the Six Gun installed, and it's been quite problematic. Upon initial installation, I didn't notice ANY change whatsoever. When I looked at the Six Gun, I noticed the old '2,3' error code indicating that EGT was out of temperature range or the circuit was open. Installation instructions were strictly adhered to.. It turns out that you have to SHORT the thermocouple leads together with the Dodge/Cummins combination for it to work (based on information received directly from Banks Tech Support). So I used a screw/nut/lockwasher combination to fix the two termnals together.. and it worked for a few days.. I finally ended up putting a star-washer in between the crimp-on ring terminals to ENSURE a complete electrical connection, NOW I'm running fine. When the error occured, I called Banks Tech Support back, and they did an 'about-face' claiming that the thermocouple lugs must be electrically separated (open circuit). I decided not to listen their advice the SECOND time. Turns out that the limits on the Dodge/Cummins are pretty tight.. doesn't take much to get the '2,3' error.

qzilla

Ok, here is the deal on ALL pyrometers.

First they all use a thermocouple. The standard for our applications (ie. trucks) is a type K thermocouple. Now in theory there is a standard output that a Type K thermocouple is supposed to produce. Not that they are always identical but, that is the theory and how it is supposed to work.

These thermocouples produce a very, very tiny specialized signal in the form of a value that is produced comparing the resistance to ground. One side of the thermocouple is grounded and the other side is inside the actual probe. As temperature increases the create a resistance between the two. This signal is so tiny that it has to be heavily amplified to read it. Most if not all use specialized IC parts for this.

Now given that we know this about them they are intended to drive a signal to 1 amplifier. Now I have run 2,3 and 4 gauges off of a single probe and it can and will work but, there are some unknowns. Both of the gauges must use a very high impedance amplifier or the signal will get pulled down. How much it gets pulled down will determine how far off the gauge will read. In most cases that I tested with it was not a significant amount but, it could be with the wrong combo.

So in short it can work but, if you see unusually low egt's with 2 gauges hooked to 1 thermocouple then one of the gauges is pulling the signal down too much and affecting both pyrometers.

Just know if you do this it is probably not the most accurate way of doing things. As long as you know it may not be accurate to 1 degree or less and are ok with that then you are probably fine.

tcr

I had exactly what you are describing and it worked flawlessly. I had the Autometer egt gauge paralleled to the speed loader thermocouple wiring to one EGT probe.

XLR8R

Quad's right - unless you need to conform to NIST standards, cutting corners in any number of ways with Type K 'couples will usually work fine.

kmadsen

In the second part of my message I indicated that the Six Gun for the 2003-2004 Dodge/Cummins is apparently extremely sensitive to VERY small changes in impedance. A completely clean connection of the two ring terminals pressed against each other degraded enough over a period of days that the unit went into failure mode, despite the connection being sealed with electrical tape and despite the fact that the metals were identical (therefore, no chance of dissimilar metal corrosion). I could find no evidence of corrosion when I disassembled the connection. My fear is that anything that sensitive would probably be just as finicky if I attempted to connect both the Six Gun and the Autometer gauge to the thermocouple. Like Sebaruwrx, I'd like to know if anyone has actually successfully accomplished functionality with the combination. Nothing proves a theory quite like an experiment And I was hoping that I could learn from someone else's experiment rather than conducting it myself.

small_toys

All thermocouples put out a small mV signal. The two wires that run into the tip are sodered together, the composition of the two metals are different. These two metals produce a mV signal, as they are heated it will increase non-linearly.

For a type K the metals are Chromel (Ni-Cr alloy) and Alumel (Ni-Al alloy).
You can actually twist the bare wire ends together and get a reading from the extension wire. Very quick check for instrumnets that we use.

XLR8R

We just Tig weld our K ends together...