Why are they "fake" gauges

[CooLManZilla]

perhaps someone can shed some light on why I keep reading about our
Autometer gauges being called fake.
I found lots of info on how to make them "real"
But no information as to them not giving accurate readings


:beer:

[ImpalaSlayer]

when is the last time you seen oil pressure hold steady at like 65 no matter what temp or rpm?

as to why they gave us fakes one, i have no clue.

[fastblackmerc]

It's a customer perception thing. You know many owners will go to the dealership saying their oil pressure is bad or the gauge is bad because it fluctuates? Too many! The stock voltmeter is real we just change it out so both gauges are the same. Eventhough the stock gauges and the aftermarket gauges are made by Autometer there are subtle differences that you'd see if a stock gauge was next to an aftermarket Autometer gauge.

[FordNut]

The voltmeter is real, but it is backlit with a tranlucent dial to match the oil pressure gauge. The reason most people replace both gauges is so they match. The oil pressure gauge is a fancy idiot light. Probably one reason is that they would have a lot of customer complaints and service claims for low oil pressure if it was a real oil pressure gauge. Converting to a real oil pressure gauge reveals wide variations in oil pressure, 100 psi or more when cold at fast idle to 15 or so when hot at slow idle.

[RacerX]

It's like a dummy light, on or off. "as to why they gave us fakes one, i have no clue." Yes you do Dave! It saves a couple bucks in the assembly line and the bottom line!

[GetMeMyStogie]

The oil pressure gauge is made by Autometer, so it's not a 'knockoff' in that sense of the word 'fake'.
However, rather than connect the gauge to an oil pressure sender on the engine which can provide a variable reading, it is connected to an on/off switch on the engine. The switch is 'on' when oil pressure is above something like 6 psi, and 'off' otherwise (or vice-versa, I forget).
So, even though the gauge itself has a needle that is capable of pointing to any number on the scale (and even beyond the range of the scale) on the gauge face, it is sent a signal that never varies, causing it to always point at 65.

[bawazir]

how come the gauge always one 65>? it dont go up or dwon if you step down one the gas.

[RR|Suki]

The oil pressure gauge is made by Autometer, so it's not a 'knockoff' in that sense of the word 'fake'.
However, rather than connect the gauge to an oil pressure sender on the engine which can provide a variable reading, it is connected to an on/off switch on the engine. The switch is 'on' when oil pressure is above something like 6 psi, and 'off' otherwise (or vice-versa, I forget).
So, even though the gauge itself has a needle that is capable of pointing to any number on the scale (and even beyond the range of the scale) on the gauge face, it is sent a signal that never varies, causing it to always point at 65.

The gauge itself is also fake, if you connect it to a 0-100psi sensor it will not read the proper PSI.

[RF Overlord]

how come the gauge always one 65>? it dont go up or dwon if you step down one the gas.Did you even READ this thread? Every reply above yours explains exactly why. :shake:

[Marauderman]

Did you even READ this thread? Every reply above your explains exactly why. :shake:

Thank you! Exactly what I was thinking--and about to post--you beat me to it--.WTG!

[Marauderman]

It's a customer perception thing. You know many owners will go to the dealership saying their oil pressure is bad or the gauge is bad because it fluctuates? Too many! The stock voltmeter is real we just change it out so both gauges are the same. Eventhough the stock gauges and the aftermarket gauges are made by Autometer there are subtle differences that you'd see if a stock gauge was next to an aftermarket Autometer gauge.


The voltmeter is real, but it is backlit with a tranlucent dial to match the oil pressure gauge. The reason most people replace both gauges is so they match. The oil pressure gauge is a fancy idiot light. Probably one reason is that they would have a lot of customer complaints and service claims for low oil pressure if it was a real oil pressure gauge. Converting to a real oil pressure gauge reveals wide variations in oil pressure, 100 psi or more when cold at fast idle to 15 or so when hot at slow idle.

....and uh....2 minutes apart....your responses...............I get it....you both went to the same class that day-----wow--you guys have a great memory-----------

Actually ...J/K....You two guys are truly the ones to look to for some great answers and y'all know your stuff---carry on for us all----...and Thank you --for me at least....

[CooLManZilla]

The gauge itself is also fake, if you connect it to a 0-100psi sensor it will not read the proper PSI.
At least they look cool... my volt meter reads high sometimes around 16 and then sometimes is in normal range 12-13 depending on what acc's i am using

[4play]

i noticed sometimes my volt meter reads a volt lower than actual voltage.

[bob6364]

i noticed sometimes my volt meter reads a volt lower than actual voltage.

Is that "actual voltage" reading ,taken North or South of the Equator?

[RacerX]

Is that "actual voltage" reading ,taken North or South of the Equator?
Naw, he's parked under power lines. :D

[Brian H]

yeah, i noticed the other day :eek:when i was going dn. the road,.........my tires were turning!!!!!!!!!:D

[GetMeMyStogie]

The gauge itself is also fake, if you connect it to a 0-100psi sensor it will not read the proper PSI.

That's true, it won't be accurate. BUT, it will provide a variable reading, even if it is offset by about 35 psi. Also, the gauge has a 'slow-reaction action' built into it - that's why it takes a while for it to move to and from the 65 psi mark when starting up/shutting down. Perhaps 'junk' is a good way to describe the gauge - but since the instrument does not actually convey the information it claims to convey (the 'oil can' image is used internationally to mean 'oil pressure'), 'fake' is just as accurate. Calling it fake seems less opinionated, and is more likely to get anyone who actually cares about it asking the question "what makes this gauge a fake?"

[stevengerard]

yes, I heard this from Steve Babcock at Woodward, they actually paid extra money (or requested) Autometer to have the oil gauge be on/off only - I kind of understand many people would complain and wonder what was going on but in all reality it makes my head spin when it comes to the marketing folks at these manufacturers. Think about it, the initial demographic of the MM was guys old enough to remember when the oil pressure gauge actually worked, the one in my 442 goes all over the place but eventually holds steady unless I'm low on oil (almost never) or the engine has been running so long the oil thins out - and the one in my sports car is accurate enough that I know when I am working the engine too much or am getting low on oil. you think they would have figured that out for the MMs get it.

[Glockafella]

Every Ford Product I have owned had a dumby oil pressure gauge.

[FordNut]

Every Ford Product I have owned had a dumby oil pressure gauge.

I've had an early Bronco, a F150, and several early Mustangs that had truly functional OEM oil pressure gauges. It's easy to tell if it's a real gauge by looking at the sending unit.

[69428SCJ]

While I was driving my 03 Cobra today I decided I'd take a look see as to whether or not the gauge moves. Sure as the dickens, it stays pegged in the same place the entire time. That saddens me as it cheapens the car a little bit in my eyes...:(

[RR|Suki]

While I was driving my 03 Cobra today I decided I'd take a look see as to whether or not the gauge moves. Sure as the dickens, it stays pegged in the same place the entire time. That saddens me as it cheapens the car a little bit in my eyes...:(

That's kinda funny since you didn't know it was supposed to move until now :P

[CooLManZilla]

Anyone else notice high volt readings?
mine around 16 a lot lately

[69428SCJ]

That's kinda funny since you didn't know it was supposed to move until now :P

ACTUALLY, I have functional oil pressure gauges in my Galaxie and my Eliminator. I know they're supposed to move because the pressure isn't constant. I just never bothered to watch the one in my Cobra until I read this thread ;)

[SC Cheesehead]

ACTUALLY, I have functional oil pressure gauges in my Galaxie and my Eliminator. I know they're supposed to move because the pressure isn't constant. I just never bothered to watch the one in my Cobra until I read this thread ;)

So we are not alone in the "fake" gauge community, eh? ;)

[69428SCJ]

Apparently not!

[LSp8]

I was wondering about that, I never look at it because it's so far below my line of site. The one on my Vic and Caprice moved back and forth all the time.

[Richy04]

Don't feel that it cheapens a Cobra or Marauder in any way. The truth is that most car buyers are uninformed A-holes who have no clue as to what a real gauge actually does.

FML did this to eliminate the hundreds of potential service complaints they would have received had they installed a real one instead.

On a side note, my son will be learning how to drive soon. He has started to ask me when I can take him out. I plan on taking him to my car and the tire will be flat, the spare will be too. So his first lesson will be changing the tire, filling it with air, and some other good lessons along the way. Don't raise your boys and girls to be stupid consumers, they should know everything about the car before driving them. Including oil changes, air filters, how to change their own wiper blades and brakes, belts, hoses etc.

[omarauder]

+1 on what Richy04 said.

My old '92 Crn Vic had the same thing with the Oil Press gauge in the Gauge cluster. According to the wiring diagram, there was a pressure switch to ground with the output wire going through a fixed value resistor then onto the gauge. Always stayed at the same reading.....
Most automotive electric oil pressure senders consist of a potentiometer (about 0 to 100-500 ohm) driven by a diaphram reacting to oil pressure. A fixed resistor, say 100 ohm for eg, would always drive the gauge to the same reading.

I think most OEM Oil Press gauges are done like this, just glorified "idiot" lights...

[CooLManZilla]

Last and only previous car was an 86 Monte Carlo SS all my gauges worked
and I swore that I would never get another car without full instrumentation!
oh well 4 out of 5 aint bad....

[69428SCJ]

Don't feel that it cheapens a Cobra or Marauder in any way. The truth is that most car buyers are uninformed A-holes who have no clue as to what a real gauge actually does.

FML did this to eliminate the hundreds of potential service complaints they would have received had they installed a real one instead...

While this might be true, the demographic for which the MM and the Cobra is targeted toward "should" know that the gauge would move. I used to work for a dealership and it was interesting reading their sales materials telling the salesmen all kinds of how to sell the customer a car, hence why this thread exists in the first place. We noticed and we're in the demographic!

[RocsMerc]

I ended up buying the real Autometer oil pressure gauge from Auto Zone. It comes with the correct oil pressure sending unit and it was real easy to swap the gauge face from the stock one into it so I didn't have to change the volt gauge.

[fastblackmerc]

I ended up buying the real Autometer oil pressure gauge from Auto Zone. It comes with the correct oil pressure sending unit and it was real easy to swap the gauge face from the stock one into it so I didn't have to change the volt gauge.

If you look really really close you'll see the OEM gauge is slightly different than the real one.

[RocsMerc]

If you look really really close you'll see the OEM gauge is slightly different than the real one.

I know, It's back lit completely differently. That's why I took both old and new gauges apart and swapped the faces. I also used the colored bulb "condom" from the stock gauge since none of the after market colors matched. That's how you get a stock looking and matching functional oil gauge.

[88LTDCV351]

The light on my oil gauge just went out. How do I replace the bulb or where is the thread on replacing?

Thanks,

[justbob]

Foot on brake, put shifter in first/low, grad both sides of the guage housing, and pull back evenly (just clipped in) from the back side you will see the 1/4 turn buld holders. two minute job.

[tbone]

My 2009 E150 cargo van has a functional oil pressure guage. Just FYI.

[RF Overlord]

tbone, are you sure? My '89, 90, and '95 E350 work vans all had fake gauges...