Installing SARD Memory Race Gauges

 
This is my reference guide for installing a set of SARD memory gauges, applicable to just about any car. I’ve just installed them into my drift Z20 Soarer, which see’s action all over Europe in several drift series. My car is pretty hardcore motorsport spec & the gauges are there to help me keep check of important stuff & to assist with baseline set ups for mapping & data logging to my Greddy Profec E-01 controller.
 
 

The Gauge Set I’ve installed

 
Oil Pressure: Without oil pressure you have a very knackered engine, oil pressure drops with rising temperatures

Oil Temperature: Most oil gives up at about 140c above that you risk damaging your engine, likewise so do low oil temps

Water Temperature: Critical to a healthy engine, high temps can cause detonation

Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGTs): Critical for tuned cars, EGT’s reflect directly to engine fuelling ratios & timing, aluminium starts melting above 900c

Fuel Pressure: Handy to keep a check on your fuel pump system, low pressures can cause leaning out & engine death

Boost Pressure: For monitoring turbo boost levels at the manifold

Each Sard gauge comes with it’s own pressure or temp sensor, a wiring harness, fittings, wiring bits, just about everything you need bar tools. The gauges feature a last seen memory function, adjustable warning point & warning light, external output eg to an external warning light, sensor feed output ideal for data logging or going to an original gauge or to your ecu & nightime lighting. In addition each gauge then has its own 2 or 3 wire sensor input harness that also plugs in the back, just plug & play.
 

Installation
 

Wiring
Each gauges has a common wiring harness to supply power & outputs, this plugs into the back of the gauge.

Orange: 12v Permanent Battery Live for the memory function

Red: 12v Live ignition switched on

Black: Earth/Ground

Yellow: Illumination connect into lights on switch

Green: Sensor Output * Optional to use

Brown: Warning Light Output * Optional to use

Deciding where to put them?

Simple for me, the most important when on track is water temperature, oil temperature & oil pressure. These I’ve mounted in my main dashpod next to my Profect E-01 unit. The EGT & fuel pressure gauges are more for reference & tuning so they’ve been mounted to the sides in my old air vent pods. I can clearly see them form my driving position still. You could mount yours anywhere you like, they come with external brackets, or you can flush mount them into a hole like mine. Gauge pods are also available such as pillar pods or dash top pods the choice is yours.
 

Fitting the sensors

The sensors are standard fitments (usually) either 1/8th tapered thread, or M10×1 it’s important they are fitted in the right place. So a little understanding of how your engines systems work, if in doubt ask!
 

Oil Pressure: Measured after the oil pump, where the feedline goes into your engines bearings, common place is tee’d into the factory oil sensor port, though you can simply swap the sensor & use the SARD one, as the gauge wiring has an output you can feed to your stock sensor output wiring. Do not measure the pressure after your oil cooler, or on a return line as thats not engine bearing pressure, after all its the oil pressure that keeps your engine bearings floating on a bed of pressuried oil & not contacting each other.
 

Oil Temperature: Ideally measured at the sump, as thats where the oil is picked from & fed to your engine, however this’ll mean removing your sump pan & in most cases a bit of a pain for many. Most common measure at the oil filter or pre oil cooler, most aftermarket oil cooler kits or sandwhich plates come with blanked ports for exactly this job. Oil acts an internal engine coolant, with excessive heat & it no longer is a lubricant 120-140c is maximum oil temps you’ll ever want to see, high spec race oils can go higher but not by much.
 

Water Temperature: Measured at the engine coolant outlet, either on the water hose, outlet casting, or a blank plug port or swapping out your existing sensor port,  the gauge has a sensor output if you swap out your factory sensor.
 

Fuel Pressure: Measuring the fuel line/rail pressure, if you have an after market regulator they usually have a blanked port for sensors. Don’t measure at the rail as you’ll see fluctations with each injector pulse & dont measure post regulator as thats the pressure back to tank & not much use.
 

Exhaust Gas Temps: Ideally measured pre turbo, as this is best for accuracy, post turbo you’ll be seeing a reduction in temps of up to 100c as the turbo absorbs heat itself, hence why things melt under your bonnet! You’ll have to tap a boss into your maniold or on the turbine housing exhaust port (exhaust inlet side)
 

 
Tip: Label Everything!!!

Do it now, label each gauges harness wire up, each sensor harness, why you ask? as when your buried under your dashboard, lying on your back swearing as the cluch pedal pokes you in the ear again, as you pull the wires through a firewall grommet you’ll soon find they all look the same!
 

Wiring

A factory wiring diagram or manual & a multi meter will be handy for finding the wires you need, one is battery voltage always on, next is ignition switched on, then lights on. Always us a good earth or chassis grounding point. No harm in wiring the group of gauges to common feeds so four yellow wires into one etc. Make sure all positive feeds are protected from shorting out, so insulate your connections. I have a simple rule, Positive output is always a female shielded connector, very difficult to short even if you try. Use heatshrink to stabilise your connections & keep them neat. Zip tie bundles of harness wires up out of the way. The gauges come with sufficient wiring connectors to make your basic connections, follow the instructions for a good contacts.
 

Wires through firewalls

You’ll need to feed your wire harnesses through a bulkhead hole or through your firewall, always use rubber grommets or find existing blanked ones & use them. Its called a firewall for a reason so keep it sealed. If you need to cut a hole, make sure there is nothing important on both sides before you start drilling, you’ll often find brake lines & fuel lines mounted on firewalls so double check your clear.
 

Gauge mounting

Once you’ve decided where your gauges are to go, so that will involve some thought not to have your steering wheel in the way! & you’ve cut your holes out, use a hole saw as seen in the pictures. The gauges should be a neat snug fit, use the rear brackets supplied to hold them in place. Make sure nothing is loose or likely to fall out even if you had an accident.
 

Checking your gauges

Before I fitted mine fully, I checked each gauge worked individually, which meant running the car up or each system individually. Once satified I then fitted them in place.
 

Getting started

Each gauge comes with a little chrome needle, for setting up the gauge warning points. You simply press the the lower button twice & hold it in for a couple of seconds & the gauge will display its preset warning level, if you want to adjust this simply use the needle on the middle rotory knob & dial it round to the right place. The gauge will flash at you appoach with 10degs of the settings & will have a constant red above your preset.
 

I’ve set my warnings to the following settings
Water Temp 120 degs C

Oil Temp 120 degs C

Oil Pressure 3 bar

Fuel Pressure 6 bar

EGT’s 850 degs C 

Boost - Depends on what fuel I run

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