General digital dashboard

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General digital dashboard

fady

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anyone here has a tempra with a digital dashboard? how is it? what extra functions does it show over the normal dials dashboard? is it reliable and accurate?
 
I had a turbo diesel Tempra with the digital dash - It was fantastic and I do miss it ! It had a turbo boost gauge, rev counter in the style of graphic equaliser bars. Also the speed was a digital readout which I think was better than looking at a needle.
Cheers, Fran
 
Had the digital dash here as well.
was in a 1.6sx. It really only offered MP/KMH switching on it for uk spec models.
Petrol version rather then the turbo meter, has an econ meter, green for good, orange for bad
 
Scorg said:
Had the digital dash here as well.
was in a 1.6sx. It really only offered MP/KMH switching on it for uk spec models.
Petrol version rather then the turbo meter, has an econ meter, green for good, orange for bad
I would imagine mine never being green:rolleyes:
 
:)
Hello! I am a new member, and very happy to find out there are other
people that love the Tempra as much as I do!

The digital dashboard is accompanied by a number of sensors that
offer an electronic check of the car:

1)engine oil indicator
2)coolant expansion tank indicator
3)wind screen wiper water tank indicator

(all the above sensors warn you if any of these fluids level is low)

4)A katopsis of the car (view looking down at the car from above the roof top)
that warns you if:
-any of the car doors or the trunk is open, also showing you which one is!
-if any of the front or rear light bulbs stops working, including the front
lights,the rear red lights, the stop warning lights (a separate sensor for
the left and the right),plus the rear license plate lights!!!

5)Also, instead of the economy-power indicator, you can order, for the 1.8 Tempra only, a digital dashboard with a trip computer!!! :D Plus, I must not forget to mention the turbo diesel version of the dashboard that has a turbo pressure (bar-meter)...

Please note that, if you want a digital dashboard, I advise you to buy one built by Magnetti Marelli (Marelli Autronica), because the ones built by BORG,
a company that was founded my FIAT (and today has closed!), are of
very low quality...! My Tempra had a BORG digital dash and stopped working
suddenly about 4-5 years ago. I replaced it with a Marelli Autronica used dashboard, and it is working fine since then.

ALSO, note that if you wish to install a digital dashboard, you have
to buy an electronic oil level indicator (best to be a magnetti marelli),
a new coolant expansion tank, plus a new windscreen wiper water tank,
tanks desinged especially for cars bearing the digital dash, because
they have the electronic sensors fixed on them. I also know that a digital dashboard requires a different set of cables than the ones that are used to connect to the analog one that you already have, a fact that will mean more
expenses...
I am not aware of the exact cost for all the above, but as far as I know, you will be able to find everything you need in shops selling used FIAT parts, in good prices. Be sure to make a market research for the prices of the new spare parts, because in some cases, used parts salesmen will try to sell you used parts in very high prices! (happens quite often in Greece, where I come from!)

For the COOLANT FLUID TANK, it is best to buy a "ricambi originalli",
because the non-original part will fail you within 4-5 years, like mine did.
Now I bought an original one = a bit more expensive, but of the best quality.

Well, that's all folks! I believe that installing a digital dashboard maybe a rough case, but, if you ask me, the result, plus the expirience you obtain from it are worth it! :)

Theo, from Greece, ATHENS 2004 !!! ;)
 
My sister and (now ex) bro-in-law had a J reg Tempra 1.6 SX with the digital dash. I loved the econometer, seemed like a great idea.

Aren't these digital dashboards best avoided on Tempras and Tipos? After all, the Italians aren't exactly the finest electrical engineers, are they? ;)

Sidenote: my old man had an MG Maestro 1600 with a digital dash (and talking computer). He had to put a blanket over the windscreen to stop the dash from "blanking out". Ah, British build quality, eh?! :D
 
KingCrimson said:
My sister and (now ex) bro-in-law had a J reg Tempra 1.6 SX with the digital dash. I loved the econometer, seemed like a great idea.

Aren't these digital dashboards best avoided on Tempras and Tipos? After all, the Italians aren't exactly the finest electrical engineers, are they? ;)

Sidenote: my old man had an MG Maestro 1600 with a digital dash (and talking computer). He had to put a blanket over the windscreen to stop the dash from "blanking out". Ah, British build quality, eh?! :D

Hehe, got to love the old MG Maestro though :)
WIth the dash in the tempra, the only thing we ever had an issue with it was a bulb that kept wanting to glow at half power until you tapped the top of the dash, only had to hit it once though and it was fine for the rest of the trip. That was when the car was 10 years old though :)
 
We have had one problem with ours on a turbo diesel. I've noticed this more when we are on the continent and have it set to Km. At 127Km/h the dashboard resets it'self momentarily. It shows 0Kp/h then 240Kp/h and then the correct 127Kp/h doing this for about 3 seconds, in the process loosing about 10-20Km off the trip meter. We have had the car from new with 150,000Km on it and I have seen this happenabout once a day if we are doing motorways in France and Italy. I have seen it once in the Uk when set to miles.

Many years ago I did complain to Fiat without an result but was told unofficially the software has a "bug" in it and 127 is one of those "magic" numbers in computers.
 
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