Hello from Central VA,

New the club, first time LR owner, two days in. Fell in love, drove away 48 hours later. Still in love, think about her all the time.
She is a '03 DII SE, 149K miles. Yep, I read all the stickies, so don't talk too bad about her.



My top item to address is the water temp gauge. Should I get a dual gauge instead?


Browsing around the forum, it seems oil pressure is also something to keep an eye on. Is it better to monitor the oil pressure or oil temp? I'd like the gauge style to blend in with the factory look. Nothing on the pillar, or knee mounted. I want it to replace the stock gauge in the cluster. Here is what I found. They are both 52mm gauges.

Programmable dual gauge with high and low alarm
SPA Design DG200


Innovate MTX-D


I can't find any writeups on gauge replacements in the cluster. Anyone try it?

Thanks for all the posts! They were a huge help and got me up to speed quickly.

 

I'm an idiot.... my cluster looks like this. Where can I put a new temp gauge?!?!

 

Why not keep it simple and just buy an UltraGauge? If it's projects you want just wait a little; your Rover will present you with many better opportunities.

 

I would vote for water temp and oil pressure. It would be nice if the OEM gauge could be replaced with one that actually worked right. Does yours have the white face gauges? I installed them on mine and looks cool. I like the idea of installing a couple of gauges on the pillar, above the tweeter, I saw a write-up here somewhere.

 

I'd say go for oil temp 150% dude. The second that bitch overheats you're in for a world of (permanent) hurt. Once the aluminum block warps, your cylinder sleeve can drop and give you the infuriatingly consistent tap (which I'm surprised it doesn't already have at 150k). If your oil pump blows, it's still expensive, but not too bad. At 149k though, honestly your pump is fine. Way past the point of the stock pump failing (it 100% has already failed and has been replaced)

Welcome to the family! It's like drugs. It's fantastic and the most fun you'll have with a car, but it also really REALLY sucks and is more or less an addiction!!!

 

if you go a search people have a nice job mounting gauges on the a-pillar and even to the dash bezel.

 

I disagree, on your 2 points. First, oil temperature may be a nice feature, but the coolant temperature is more important. The coolant temp rises much faster than the oil and by the time the oil gets to a dangerous temp level, chances are the damage has already been done.
If your oil pump goes, there goes bearings, rings, the two things that must have oil, or friction will destroy them.

 

I like that look. Have done it on similar cars, one of my favorite cosmetic things. I have been hesitant to do anything optional on the Rover because of the constant fear of a terminal failure.

Knock on wood, she is running good.

If I install a used instrument cluster, do i need to program the mileage or anything to make it work? Will it cause an error of some sort?

What pins would I need to power to turn on the dash light to aid in the install of the white stickers?

Thanks

 

yes the speedo will have to be programmed

 

I didn't consider the UltraGauge because it relies on the ECU. My thought was it would be better to have a 2nd independent temp sensor with all the overheating issues. Is that overkill? I'm planning on sticking with oil pressure and not oil temp.

I don't have the white gauges, it was just a clear pic of the cluster from Google.

Thanks for the feedback.