Turbo Boost gauge fitting to TAMD41A

P

petrolhead63

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 Mar 2015
Messages
116
Visit site
Has anybody fitted turbo boost gauges to Penta TAMD41A ? I am thinking of adding them to the lower helm station, if it has been done what gauges and take off points would be useful to know.
I can see using either one of the blank plugs in the inlet manifold or fitting onto the hose that runs to the plunger on the pump.
 
Thanks for that farsco, I missed it :apologetic: I was on the right tracks then. I think an electronic gauge with a sender working off only a short length of pipe seems preferable to a huge long tube on a boat to a mechanical gauge if it is to stay and not just for testing.
 
electronic is the only way to go imho.
Start the other way round, get a matching set of gauges to the rest of the kit you have on your dash, then get matching senders and finally get a blank out of each inlet magnifold take it to a machinist and get a matching thread to the sender. a few metres of cable and off you go. That's what I did on my IVECOs.
Mind the VDO gauge/sender combo was around 200 each side (iirc that was 4yrs ago)

V.

PS. being also a fellow petrolhead, I can assure you it's a v.boring gauge to stare at :D Only useful for debugging boost issues/turbo/compressor/etc
 
If you are worried about how well your turbos/engines are working there is an easy/cheap method. (learnt this from a volvo tech)
buy an infra red thermometer -@ £15 from ebay/amazon etc. Make sure hull and props are very clean - this is very important before you start any diagnostics!
take the boat for a good fast run (engines over 2k5 rpm preferably over 3K to get it warmed up and properly loaded). Then while still running fast (get some one else to steer) measure the engine temps at the thermostat housing - should be about the same low 80's ,(ignore the gauges they can be a bit off) then measure the temperature of the pipe from the turbo as it enters the charge air cooler. (I tend to aim at the join to be consistent) Again should be about the same temp. (give or take a few degrees) If it's significantly different the engine with the lower air temp is not working as hard so possibly tired turbo. While you are there measure the temp of the exhaust elbows in the middle near the top too - if different (again a few degs doesn't matter) might be worth pulling the exhaust elbows off for a clean/change.

engine load is proportional to boost pressure, which is proportional to air temp entering the charge air cooler.
Much easier than fitting boost gauges and will reveal a lot more about your engines

if engine temps not correct sort cooling system really well first.
if down on power sort fuel supply, all filters, shut off valves, pipes, tubes, tanks first
if still short of power - check turbo compressed air temps.

Once everything is spot on you can hopefully forget about it for years.
 
Last edited:
kashurst said:
If you are worried about how well your turbos/engines are working there is an easy/cheap method. (learnt this from a volvo tech)
buy an infra red thermometer -@ £15 from ebay/amazon etc. Make sure hull and props are very clean - this is very important before you start any diagnostics!
take the boat for a good fast run (engines over 2k5 rpm preferably over 3K to get it warmed up and properly loaded). Then while still running fast (get some one else to steer) measure the engine temps at the thermostat housing - should be about the same low 80's ,(ignore the gauges they can be a bit off) then measure the temperature of the pipe from the turbo as it enters the charge air cooler. (I tend to aim at the join to be consistent) Again should be about the same temp. (give or take a few degrees) If it's significantly different the engine with the lower air temp is not working as hard so possibly tired turbo. While you are there measure the temp of the exhaust elbows in the middle near the top too - if different (again a few degs doesn't matter) might be worth pulling the exhaust elbows off for a clean/change.

engine load is proportional to boost pressure, which is proportional to air temp entering the charge air cooler.
Much easier than fitting boost gauges and will reveal a lot more about your engines

if engine temps not correct sort cooling system really well first.
if down on power sort fuel supply, all filters, shut off valves, pipes, tubes, tanks first
if still short of power - check turbo compressed air temps.

Once everything is spot on you can hopefully forget about it for years.
Click to expand...

+1

but I'd go a step further and mark/paint the same spots on each engine with a thick black permanent marker. Especially if you're aiming at any shiny stainless steel exhaust riser!
IR thermometers are notoriously sensitive to reflective surfaces, so best to paint all black. Added bonus is that you aim at the same spot everytime :D

cheers

V.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top