Gauges | 2016-2018 Nissan Titan XD 5.0 Cummins

Sure, your truck has a speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, voltmeter, and a few other random gauges, but none of these are really telling you what's going on with your powertrain. Titan XD's in stock form used under moderate conditions don't have a huge necessity for additional gauges than what comes factory on the dashboard. However, as horsepower increases, or the truck is being pushed beyond a "moderate" use, they become vital tools to alleviate potentially catastrophic failures due to excessive heat and/or pressure. One of the most important gauges on any diesel is that of a pyrometer, or EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) gauge. Even without any modifications, we have experienced what we would consider high EGT's that were alarming.

So, what are all of these gauges and what are they for? Lets cover a handful of the most popular options.

Pyrometer | EGT | Exhaust Gas Temperature
This single gauge is by far the most popular in the diesel market. Basically, this measures the temperature of exhaust as it is exiting the engine, and read most accurately pre-turbo. In most models, you must drill and tap the exhaust manifold and install a probe in order to read this temperature. With proper tuning, increased airflow, and even water methanol injection kits, EGT's can quickly be reduced.

Boost
Boost is a measurement of the air pressure directly before it enters into the engine, thus post turbo and intercooler. Most often, this measurement is taken from the intake manifold, as that is the closest available source to mount the sending unit to the engine. Exactly, this measurement is pounds per square inch, or PSI. Many times, we have customers mention that they installed a larger intake manifold or intercooler pipe, and were concerned because they noticed a drop in boost levels, even though they had an increase in "seat of the pants horsepower." Simply put, that's completely normal, as the volumetric area has increased, or the "square inch" of the PSI equation, causing a drop in actual boost, or PSI. Its the same philosophy as a garden hose nozzle, if you reduce the bottleneck at the end, your pressure will decrease, but your volume will increase.

Transmission Temperature
This one is fairly straight forward. Transmission temperature is most accurately read from the transmission pan, as this is the best average temperature compared to any existing test ports or feed and return lines coming out of the transmission. In order to install the sending unit, some people will remove the pan and install a bung. However, the best and easiest way is to replace the transmission pan with an aftermarket, finned unit that has a pre-installed bung. The fins will help dissipate heat, and they will also typically hold additional volume compared to the stock pan, and feature a magnetic drain plug.

As always, if you have any questions about what gauges are right for you, don't hesitate to give us a call, or send an e-mail to [email protected], and we would be happy to help!

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