What Do Your Car Gauges Really Indicate?

Whether you’re looking for Honda demo cars for sale or brand new models, you will have a lot of gauges. Modern cars, give us so much feedback on what’s going on it can be hard to keep track of it all. Gone are the days when all we had was a speedo, a rev counter, and oil temperature. Gauges are essential because the information they convey can be very important. Many manufacturers have gotten rid of the graduated style scale used in the past, and instead, we now have a normal and a red zone. Older cars and performance cars may still have other auxiliary gauges that are specific for racing purposes. To keep things simple, let’s take a look at some of the basic gauges.

The Coolant Temperature:

We need coolant to keep our engine temperatures within a safe operating range. When the temperature goes up, it can usually herald the arrival of a more significant problem. The coolant should be a mixture of water and an appropriate additive. This mixture can boil at a temperature above 100 degrees in the sealed pressurised system and not boil away. If the temperature is always high, it could mean a problem, such as a failing coolant pump, a faulty head gasket or a radiator problem. A temperature that’s always low could indicate a broken thermostat. It’s important to understand that the engine temperature should fluctuate naturally, depending upon the atmospheric temperature and the current engine load.

The Oil Pressure:

Almost all vehicles are fitted with some kind of low oil pressure warning light. This is because the loss of oil pressure can indicate some serious problems. The engine oil raises in pressure from 10 psi when idle up to around 80 psi when working at the maximum. This can vary a lot, depending upon the performance, age, and temperature of the engine. Low reading could indicate a failing oil pump, insufficient oil levels, an incorrect grade of oil, worn engine bearings or a clogged oil filter. If the readings are high, it could be a faulty regulator that’s at fault.

The Oil Temperature:

The temperature of the oil and the coolant are linked, but the oil temperature reading gives us a better idea of what’s going on under the bonnet. The normal oil temperature should be sat a little above the coolant temperature at idle, but they should rise as the engine speed and load increases. The normal oil temperature should be in a range of 110 to 130 degrees. Dependant upon whether the coolant and oil temperature gauges spike independently of each other or instead rise up together, the problems could be very different.

At Prestige Honda we have a wide selection of Honda demo cars for sale, including the Honda Jazz Blue. We would like you to book a no obligation test drive with online, and you can try out a Honda for yourself. If you need finance, our rates are very competitive, and the repayments can be tailored to suit your individual circumstances. Our Prestige Honda sale team is standing by to take your call, and they can answer any remaining questions you may have.