# Automotive rant: Why mfgs. bother to put gauges that dont work? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 15, 2009, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158 "2009-04-15T08:46:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/21 "2009-04-16T18:55:17Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Nah, I think that’s from the time I blew a seal. > > Ba-dum Pssh! Hey! My favorite joke!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/22 "2009-04-16T19:41:56Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Nah, I think that’s from the time I blew a seal. > > Ba-dum Pssh! No no! It’s ice cream! ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/23 "2009-04-16T23:30:27Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Anyway I think the point made by others is valid, that a too-sensitive gauge would only be a distraction and cause of unnecessary nervousness. The oil pressure gauge on my car is like that, it pegs at high RPM but goes down to maybe 2/3 of full scale when idle after the engine has warmed up. The first time I noticed it I got worried and called a mechanic, who told me it’s normal. I still don’t see why I need to know the exact pressure - I’d think it’s enough to just warn me when it’s low enough to require attention. An oil pressure gauge can tell you a lot of things about the oil or engine condition. This article explains in some detail: [http://www.international-auto.com/fiat-lancia-tips-on-reading-gauges/tips-on-reading-gauges-oil-pressure-gauges.cfm](http://www.international-auto.com/fiat-lancia-tips-on-reading-gauges/tips-on-reading-gauges-oil-pressure-gauges.cfm) > [@Icerigger](#): > > I had a 1991 Pontiac Sunbird with a full instrument cluster on the dash. I used to get a kick watching the Voltage gauge beat in time to the pulsing of the turn signal. I guess that meant it worked OK. Yes! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/24 "2009-04-17T00:02:33Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > I know of plenty of cars that produce 13.9V + at idle. I thought charging voltage with everything healthy was 13.8v. My experience was that turning on the headlights would momentarily drop the voltage to 12, and it would quickly come back to 13.8 ad the voltage regulator began charging again. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/25 "2009-04-17T05:17:54Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > or that you’ve landed. Or that you’re cruising 1000 feet above the Dead Sea! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/26 "2009-04-17T13:14:31Z")
For automotive uselessness you can’t beat the rear spoiler I saw on a Toyota Prius today. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/27 "2009-04-17T14:49:03Z")
> [@KRM](#): > > Ford has been doing this for years. My 1999 Explorer has an oil “gauge” that always reads the exact same pressure. When my sensor went out, I learned that it was nothing more than a glorified and pretty idiot light. As I found out this Winter, the oil gauge on my '99 Jeep Cherokee does in fact work. So does the gauge on my '66 MGB (and my first one too). This thread reminds me that a phrase I’ve heard often is ‘aircraft fuel gauges are notoriously inaccurate’. Part of a preflight inspection is to remove the fuel caps and look inside of the tanks. They sell calibrated sticks to check the fuel levels. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/28 "2009-04-17T15:42:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > This thread reminds me that a phrase I’ve heard often is ‘aircraft fuel gauges are notoriously inaccurate’. I presume they have floats like an automobile gas tank. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/29 "2009-04-17T18:16:45Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > …that was better than the time my oil gauge was reading too high, and I drove straight off a cliff… Toonces? Is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/30 "2009-04-17T19:35:22Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > For automotive uselessness you can’t beat the rear spoiler I saw on a Toyota Prius today. or the standard issue Tachometer that comes with every automatic. (but back in the day was a fucking “Feature” on a stick that you had to pay for) ---
**Author:** ![Deereman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Deereman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deereman)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/31 "2009-04-18T07:17:26Z")
Ahh, This just makes me love the old '30s through '50s stuff that I work on. Oil pressure, water temp, the later stuff had fancy things like Ammeters, tachometer, speedometer, hour meter, fuel gauge, PTO RPM (yes, this is farm equipment). ACTUAL gauges, some even had fancy chrome trim! Sensitive gauges are necessary, just to make sure you know what’s going on. I’d feel naked in something without an actual oil pressure gauge that spiked and dipped with the oil temperature. Though it’s funny with the really early stuff, they didn’t rely on numbers all the time, just a simple “STOP”, “LOW”, “MED” “HI” for oil pressure, or maybe a red or green range on the dial…which works just fine, especially for a farmer with little to no mechanical knowledge. Besides, “HI” is actually only 15psi, LOW is only 5psi…which is low enough to make most modern mechanics cringe. The most accurate fuel gauge is a relatively clean stick, though my mid 50s diesels have decent 6 volt fuel gauges. Brandon ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158/32 "2009-04-18T20:57:13Z")
So why is it my stick-shift Ranger has no tachometer, but my POS Tempo automatic did? I don’t know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-rant-why-mfgs-bother-to-put-gauges-that-dont-work/493158.md?page=1)