| Author | Message | ||
     Christian S. Hansen Prolific User Username: enquiring_mind Post Number: 254 Registered: 4-2015 |
Re: 1979 Silver Shadow SRK37338 With all the problems I have been having, I though this would be an appropriate change of topic. In the documentation that came with the car was the original delivery invoice. Apparently it first went to Pontchartrain Rolls-Royce (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA) at a price of about $78,000US in 1979. There is an "outside temperature gauge" smack in the top middle of the dash that is calibrated in Celsius. Now while most of the rest of the world uses Celsius, here is the USofA, we prefer Farenheit. So...why Celsius? Do you suppose that it is the French Creole influence in N'Orleans? Anyway, not a problem. Just strange. What IS odd is the calibration on the gauge. The climate in Louisiana is ANYTHING but temperate. Moss grows from trees. But yet, the "straight up" position on the gauge is...what?..."0" degrees Celsius. To the left it stops at -30C!!! and to the right pins at +30C. Louisiana year round, let alone most of the world for most of the year, do not even appear on THAT gauge!! What what this gauge designed for? Artic Expeditions??? Ambient temperatures in Louisiana will have the gauge pinned constantly! Even here in temperate San Francisco, that gauge is basically useless and spends its time hovering just below pinned to the right! Isn't that the stupidest, most useless, gauge ever?? Can anyone top that?? | ||
| John Grieve Experienced User Username: john116 Post Number: 40 Registered: 4-2012 |
In it's home market in 1979, -30 to 30 would have covered every day temperature wise. | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 2075 Registered: 4-2003 |
Left-field thought - is this gauge possibly an after-acquisition modification to function as an outside air temperature gauge possibly to indicate possible road icing conditions??? | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 252 Registered: 4-2016 |
Hi Christian, Does it look like this?  | ||
| Christian S. Hansen Prolific User Username: enquiring_mind Post Number: 256 Registered: 4-2015 |
Patrick...Yup...That's it! Did you take it out of your dash and replace with something else? David... Don't know, but gauge is affected simply by proximity to hot engine compartment (not sure where the sensor is located) so clearly not in a very isolated position, and certainly does not appear to be accurate enough to be practical for ice warnings, which for much of the world, for much of the year, including New Orleans, are moot. My point was mostly humor about a gauge that seems to be useless, pinned, or nearly pinned, 99% of the time | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 253 Registered: 4-2016 |
Hi Christian, My Car is a SSI, I don't even have a coolant temp gauge. When you say "pinned" I don't really understand what you mean. The gauge above is accurate somewhat for Australia & the UK as well I would imagine. The gauge appears to read between -30 degC (-22 deg F) to +40 dec C (104 deg F). Would you agree? However if there are pins in the gauge face to limit its travel, I cant see them. | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 2077 Registered: 4-2003 |
Christian, It is my understanding the temperature sensor for an R-R/B ice-warning gauge is usually at the front of the car either in a wheel arch or behind the front bumper bar. Whilst of little use in your part of the USA, it is possible a previous owner regularly travelled in colder parts of the USA or even was based there whilst owning the car. I can see the benefit of having a gauge of this type - my partner's MY09 VW Eos has a MFD display that shows the outside air temperature however it has never been cold enough to indicate ice but has regularly shown temperatures in excess of 40deg Celsius [104deg Fahrenheit] in our part of the world. | ||
| Paul Yorke Grand Master Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 1555 Registered: 6-2006 |
Hi, it was fitted when the automatic air conditioning system was introduced. You could start your trip at minus 20 in the Alps, drive down to Monte Carlo where it was plus 30 and the cabin temperature would not change at all. So upon exiting the vehicle you would be hit by a sudden and unexpected heat wave which would make your lady passenger swoon.Thermal shock is the technical term. A quick glance at the outside temp gauge and all will be well.  | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 530 Registered: 2-2013 |
Christian my town in Russia goes from plus 40C to minus 45 C regularly and here in Queensland Australia the temperature goes from 0C to maybe sometimes 40C. Now the really horrid thing is one of these silly gauges might be in the Camargue!!!!!! I must check in the next few weeks when I get back there and if it is I will have to work out what to do with it but a blast from a double barrel with buckshot is the first thing that comes to mind. What was Crewe thinking or was it?????? | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 531 Registered: 2-2013 |
I just googled Rolls Royce outside temperature gauge and there appeared a Farinheit one that goes from minus 2F to plus 110F so that may be good for Oakland California. However, I would like a gauge in the Camargue that calculates my blood alcohol level together with my THC level along with proximity of the next police road block - now that would be very Camarguey. | ||
| Christian S. Hansen Prolific User Username: enquiring_mind Post Number: 260 Registered: 4-2015 |
Vladimir... Yes, I will look into that gauge. Much more practical. Crazy as things are here in California, you would get along just fine. Old white guys driving Rolls Royces are not even on the screen for the local cops. They simply smile and nod approval and then go chase the crack dealers and gang bangers. | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 257 Registered: 4-2016 |
Vlad Make sure you YouTube the buckshotting of the gauge | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 1958 Registered: 6-2009 |
The same gauge was fitted to SRH33576, which is a UK Spec Shadow II. In all its dusty glory:  I want to say the outside temperature sensor is behind one of the black plastic "wings" on the rear bumper. I know I located it once. Brian | ||
| Christian S. Hansen Prolific User Username: enquiring_mind Post Number: 262 Registered: 4-2015 |
I would have to say that driving from the top of the Alps to the Mediterranean aside, for most of us, under most of our driving conditions, the left half of the gauge is the irrelevant side. Even if practical, how many of us drive their cars in the winter anyway. The extreme half of the right half of the gauge is where most of us drive. I like the gauge Vladimir found which has the "typcially experienced" temperature range more practically displayed. Far left in the winter and far right in the summer...and forgetting the "Arctic" conditions. I did not mean this to be a big deal, just something that seemed "odd". | ||
| Mark Aldridge Grand Master Username: mark_aldridge Post Number: 318 Registered: 10-2008 |
Scale is fine for UK climate, just lacks a rainfall gauge ! Mark | ||
| Bob Reynolds Grand Master Username: bobreynolds Post Number: 402 Registered: 8-2012 |
Fortunately we hardly ever get any rain in the UK. |
