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murph81



Member Since: 11 Sep 2022
Location: Ireland
Posts: 63

Ireland 2007 Defender 110 Td5 PU Belize Green
VDO Vision coolant temp gauge.
Can I replace the standard coolant temp gauge with a VDO Vision gauge?

I have read that the standard gauges are VDO vision gauges with different style dials/needles.

Will the gauge work with the standard temp sender?
Post #989124 16th Apr 2023 11:59am
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4RF RDS



Member Since: 19 Jul 2015
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 890

Canada 2000 Defender 110 Td5 XS CSW Epsom Green
Yes but… not sure which gauge temperature range would work with it. Perhaps others with more insight will chime in with more details. Why do you want another gauge? 2010 Range Rover MkIII Autobiography Super Charged (Idris)
2003 Range Rover Mk III (Desmond FitzWilliam)
2000 Defender 110 CSW TD5 (CTX)
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Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.
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Post #989130 16th Apr 2023 1:05pm
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Naks



Member Since: 27 Jan 2009
Location: Stellenbosch, ZA
Posts: 2578

South Africa 2010 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 SW Alpine White
Re: VDO Vision coolant temp gauge.
murph81 wrote:
Can I replace the standard coolant temp gauge with a VDO Vision gauge?
I have read that the standard gauges are VDO vision gauges with different style dials/needles.
Will the gauge work with the standard temp sender?


You should rather get a proper Engine Monitoring System, like the Madman, and you can see the coolant temp (and other temps) in real time Thumbs Up

Have a look here: https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic28536.html --
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Post #989145 16th Apr 2023 3:41pm
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geobloke



Member Since: 06 Nov 2012
Location: Nottinghamshire
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United Kingdom 
4RF RDS wrote:
Yes but… not sure which gauge temperature range would work with it. Perhaps others with more insight will chime in with more details. Why do you want another gauge?


Well I tried this and it did not work. The problem I found is that the temp gauge is driven not by the sensor but by the ECU and it reads very low even when up to temp. The conclusion I came to was that the Defender gauges work at a limited volt range unlike via the temp sender which would work at the full 12v.

The solution for me was to install a Madman gauge and I haven't looked backwards since. Incredible tool to have on-board and it has saved Miffy's engine and gearbox a bunch of times. Worth every pence and pound that it cost.
Post #989189 17th Apr 2023 8:41am
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murph81



Member Since: 11 Sep 2022
Location: Ireland
Posts: 63

Ireland 2007 Defender 110 Td5 PU Belize Green
Thanks for clearing that up!

I would love to get the Madman EME but it's very expensive, I think I'd buy a Nanocom first.

Just trying to sort an possible overheating/temp gauge issue at the moment.
Post #989206 17th Apr 2023 10:14am
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rallysteve



Member Since: 10 Feb 2014
Location: South Yorks
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United Kingdom 2002 Defender 110 Td5 DCPU Keswick Green
Td5 temperature gauge is controlled by a pulse-width modulated signal from the ECU. Like most modern cars, it does not accurately reflect the real engine temperature. It will sit static in the same middle 'healthy' position even though the engine temperature may vary somewhat. Only if the engine temperature moves out of the 'healthy' range will the gauge shoot up to indicate an overheat condition.

It is a while since i bench tested the gauge but I seem to recall once it had reached the normal operating temperature position, it only had one or maybe two 'hot' positions.

If you really want an aftermarket VDO gauge then you would need to run a new wire direct to the sender and fit an additional VDO sensor.

Best way of measuring live engine temperature is via Nanocom or similar. This will however only show the temperature of the water near the sender so might not indicate immediately overheating if the water is no longer circulating (e.g. pump failure or blocked radiator). An infrared temperature gun is often useful for measuring specific locations.

Cheers,
Steve 02' 110 TD5 Double Cab Rebuild Thread
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Post #989209 17th Apr 2023 10:37am
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murph81



Member Since: 11 Sep 2022
Location: Ireland
Posts: 63

Ireland 2007 Defender 110 Td5 PU Belize Green
Thanks Steve, I'm booked in to have temperature confirms on Nanocom tomorrow.

I've ordered a Binowl onboard computer also so I can monitor things in future.

Can't justify buying a Nanocom at the moment.
Post #990347 25th Apr 2023 8:51pm
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Hazza



Member Since: 10 Jan 2011
Location: North Yorkshire / Leeds
Posts: 208

United Kingdom 1990 Defender 110 Td5 HT Bronze Green
You can sneak the VDO sensor into the coolant outlet from the block. I don't have a photo but there's space and material to drill and tap. 1990 Defender 110 200TDI Camper - now converted to Td5 power
Post #990442 26th Apr 2023 4:03pm
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Chris86



Member Since: 15 Jul 2014
Location: South Yorks
Posts: 750

United Kingdom 2005 Defender 110 Td5 USW Chawton White
It is possible to have the settings in the ECU changed to make the temperature gauge more useful and perform more like a 'normal' gauge.

Dan at Storm tuning does it.

https://stormtuning.com/

Chris
Post #990454 26th Apr 2023 5:47pm
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