Frankly, I find it ridiculous, and a little sad, that a V8 muscle car like our 2009 Challenger R/T doesn't have an analog oil pressure gauge. Instead, Dodge has included this digital gauge which can be called up on the information screen with a few jabs at the steering wheel buttons. Better than nothing, but about as interesting and artistic as a sheet of plain white paper.
At least it actually works. Watch the video and marvel how the Hemi's oil pressure rises and falls with its rpm. There was a time when manufacturers stopped such function because ignorant owners were bringing their cars into the dealer because it was broken.
"It seems to run fine, but the gauge goes down to 30 psi every time they stop at a red light. Something must be wrong."
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 19,172 miles
rick8365 says:
03:44 PM, 01/27/10
Interesting.
But....what I really like is hearing what the Hemi sounds like from the driver's seat. ....oh so good.
jederino says:
04:18 PM, 01/27/10
Would a better gauge change how you use the car? I'm just curious where it's application would start to make a differnece. At the dragstrip? On a few hot laps at your local track day?
eswalls says:
04:19 PM, 01/27/10
That's ridiculous.
sharpend says:
04:35 PM, 01/27/10
Scott, "your rediculous."
Doesn't anyone use spell and grammar check anymore? Sheesh, you see the same errors over and over again on the interwebs. Or maybe it's a sad commentary about the US education system.
mzbamf says:
04:38 PM, 01/27/10
I'm not sure if that's sarcasm but am I seeing what is supposed to be "you're ridiculous"?
bankerdanny says:
04:56 PM, 01/27/10
Jederino,
It can.
True story: when I was in college in 1984, I drove a 1980 Ford Granada with a straight 6. It was my first automatic equipped car. Having been taught well by my father, I checked the oil everytime I filled up. Unfortunately, the oil I was checking was in the transmission and not the engine (stop laughing, the dip stick was on the same side and in plain view in the roomy engine compartment). It eventually ran out of oil, which I didn't know because, unbeknownst to me, the idiot light (there's an apt name) was not working. So on my way to class, 15 miles from home, it tossed a rod through the block.
We replaced the engine and I drove the car for a couple more years. One of the first things I did when I got it back was to add auxillary gauges for oil pressure, engine temp, and amps. It turned out the new engine burned some oil and the pressure would fall as the level got lower. I drove the car to Florida for Spring Break one year, stopping everytime the pressure fell below a certain point to add a quart. Without the gauge I might have lost engine #2 in the marathon driving session to Florida.
Once I had an alternator fail, which I noticed because the ammeter went negative. That prompted me to turn off all electrical accessories to conserve battery power to get home. Temperature gauges have warned me of possible overheating in traffic and in mountains and prompted me to slow down, or turn on the heat to increase cooling capacity, or just to check the coolant level. Idiot lights have their place, but I would much rather have a gauge.
banditone says:
05:31 PM, 01/27/10
Dear eswalls, sharpend and mzbamf,
Thank you all for being so perfect. I'll try more better in the future.
Best,
Scott
bodyblue says:
07:32 AM, 01/28/10
Wow the Hemi sounds nice! Compare that to the sound of the Z that sounds like a Hoover with a cold.
Oh and Scott......dont let the nattering nabobs of negativity get you down. Some people have nothing better to do.
moparfool says:
08:59 AM, 01/28/10
Good comments on having gauges. Sometime last spring @ 4000 miles my 2009 Challenger's alternator / battery idiot light indicator came on. I just kept driving because I was in the middle of nowhere, with no problems. At destination turned off the engine and restarted and the idiot light stayed off. I think once the alternator idiot light comes on, it stays on until an engine restart even if voltage returns to normal.
I then bought a LED readout voltmeter that plugs into the dash power outlet. The voltmeter shows voltage can really jump around a lot - basically from a poorly controlled and hence very noisy output from the alternator. If I put on the brakes or turn on the headlights the voltage can quickly read 14.50, then 13.8 and all points in between before it settles down. Same LED voltmeter shows rock steady voltage in my beater 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Dealer service guy said that Chrysler has a software controlled voltage regulator - great idea but the execution is really lousy. Maybe Chrysler saved the cost of a 10 cent diode or the software was written by some ex-Windows Vista software engineer.
Car went in for recall #J21 11/20/2009 (hot engine cranking issue) which replaces some ground wires and updates some software not related to voltage regulation. Based on observation the voltage has settled down some after J21 installation. ????
hemisam says:
09:13 AM, 01/28/10
An analog gauge would be good, but if I had some votes, that wouldn't be on the top of the list of upgrades to my 2009.
crowb says:
10:48 AM, 01/28/10
+1 Oldham