MPG Vacuum Gauge - EASY DIY INSTALL

How to install a vacuum gauge on your vehicle to monitor instant miles per gallon as well as engine health and operational efficiency. This is an easy DIY or an inexpensive part. The vehicle in the video is a 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ 4.0, but this will work on any vehicle.
I used a 2 5/8" hole saw to create the hole for this particular gauge.
Auto Meter Vacuum Gauge:
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We hope you enjoyed this video and will keep in mind that all information included is intended to be purely academic and in fact is only the opinion of D&E. We are not professionals, nor are we qualified to knight you a professional. D&E want to ensure that anyone modify or fixing their own vehicle does so in a safe manner which leaves the vehicle in a legal, roadworthy state. In short, DON'T BE A MONKEY WITH A TOOL BOX! If you don't know what you are doing, leave repairs and modification to the professional.

[@rogjackson]

Cool guage. I would wire the light to the parking light circuit so the guage light only comes on when you turn your lights on.

[@neilduncan8657]

I put the exact same gauge in my v8 swapped 84 Datsun S12. Mine at a idle is close to 18" to 19" at about 700 rpm. Very handy and informative gauge! Can be used to tailor driving to achieve decent gas mileage

[@halseyballistic]

Outstanding explanation for this vaccum gauge and its function!

[@bobhunt3197]

I always put these in my vehicles, good information with that gauge. I'd say your motor is in A-1 condition the way that needle sits so still.

[@Odenix75]

Thank you very easy to understand the way you explain it

[@danhambrick6331]

Nice.I may add one to my XJ but I am going to use an A pillar pod.It can hold up to 3 gauges and has a very clean look....

[@DEInTheGarage]

Yea, that would probably have looked better. I'd love to see a pic if you end up going that direction

[@bigshortstack2929]

The first places to check for vacuum leaks are the connection points, ie. vacuum taps to the engine; inline taps for sensors and any other points such as the distributor and in-line restrictors. Then, any places in the lines that pass anywhere close to hot spots, ie exhaust headers and the engine head / block. This means virtually the entire lengths of every line. But, ;start at the connection points. Those are where I have found them in the past. You are totally correct about a vac gauge telling the engines health status. The package the gauge came in sometimes has those illustrations. If not there, then the maintenance manual on your particular vehicle will show that info including photos of how the needle is reacting. If anyone doesn't own a maintenance manual for their car / truck they need to get one. That is one of the FIRST things I buy whenever I get a "new" vehicle, so I can learn about it and how to do shade tree mechanic work instead of paying mechanic fees for things I can do myself. Nothing against mechanics earning a living, but my tight budget says that I need to keep those monies in my own bank account....such as it is. lololol. I just got a 1981 Jeep CJ-7 Renegade from my son-in-law by trading him my 1976 Chevy C-10 shortbed, stepside pickup that he wanted for this "real jeep" that i wanted. Straight across trade. I gave him my maintenance book on the truck, but had to order a couple of those on this Jeep from an eBay seller at very reasonable prices. Good to go.

[@DEInTheGarage]

That is some really great advice! If you choose to remain ignorant about your vehicle, you are in for an expensive ride. It doesn't take much to sit down with a Haynes manual and figure out how to fix your own stuff

[@SOU6900]

Should have kept the round eye square body dude. 😆

[@TheBeardedJeeper]

Nice video! I need to look into adding more gauges in my Cherokee project. Congrats on hitting 4K subs btw!!

[@DEInTheGarage]

Thanks! Can;t wait to see that Cherokee of yours start coming together

[@TheBeardedJeeper]

D&E In The Garage hopefully soon man. Stupid snow needs to go away

[@Sidekick1107]

That’s funny when he said the needle in the Catchup 🍅 range. Hahaha hilarious 🤣

[@tilemarblegranite]

Amazing!

[@ProjectDanH]

Great idea! Unfortunately XJs lack console space... And my daughters name is Jocelyn... We call her JoJo 🤣🤣🤣

[@DEInTheGarage]

HA! No kidding.. Our "Jojo" is from the Beatles song... And yea, it is a bummer about the lack of space on the XJ. That is why I had to sneak it under the HVAC controls

[@kierenalvarez]

Careful tapping into those for more than 3a over the fuses rated. Your not Im just saying for others to keep that in mind. Nice rig mate! hope you still have it!

[@charlesdowns1691]

low reading may indicate late timing.. floating needle 2"low may be ignition issue+coils or secondary. 3" 4" low may indicate sticky valve.

[@jtmoffroad]

Nice vid! I’ll have to look more into these. Never heard of adding a vac gauge. Also didn’t know one outlet was powered all the time and one was when the vehicle was on! Don’t have that on my yj but makes sense for my other vehicles

[@DEInTheGarage]

YEa, it is a nice way to keep on eye on an aging engine. If you are MPG minded, vacuum is directly related to MPG. I am surprised your YJ does not have the same setup. I figured the XJ and YJ would be pretty close..

[@packrat76]

My dad's station wagon he had many years ago had a factory one but it was a fuel economy gauge, max and min. Went to min when you stopped the accelerator obviously.

[@charlesdowns1691]

i got mine hooked up. i know how to read+ 18" steady+ to around 23" crusing. ive learned alot with it. higher # is gonna be best m.p.g.

[@davidm3210]

Good stuff partner, thanks for sharing. I reckon you put the outer hose on to act as a clamp of sorts? Best wishes!

[@BobSmith-yb2lw]

Hey great video and idea never actually thought of this I tried tracking my MPG which was a process by having to track my miles and gallons and all that but yeah 4L and good fuel economy never go together

[@DEInTheGarage]

Yea, There are things you can do to the 4.0 to get better MPG, but it is very expensive (you probably wont recoup the cost in gas savings) and that just isnt what it is for. You want good MPG, sell the Jeep!.. You want to enjoy the vehicle you own? Stop caring about MPG. HAHA

[@claudiofagundes9502]

Very cool I'll be placing one on the suburban hopefully the functionality is similar and out of curiosity is there a way of increasing the natural vacuum of an engine for better economy (( vacuum pump upgrade )) if there is such a thing and would it enhanced performance or ruin it that would be a great video for someone who knows about it..

[@SOU6900]

I purchased one of these for my 86 K2500. Considering putting it up in the corner of the dash by the base of the pillar if it won't fit in the pillar pod setup I bought. Last resort I'll just mount it under the dash or something.

[@edgarlopez4995]

AWESOME

[@sneakthief5724]

So many Jeep dogs!

[@FrankSchwarzfree]

My wife says our vacuum is broken. Will this gauge tell me what's going on with her?

[@DEInTheGarage]

Bahah... This gauge won't help you there, but installing one will get you out of the house for a few hours :-)

[@bigshortstack2929]

Ahhhhh........what's wrong with her (your wife) or her machine?? Couldn't resist.

[@creepycrawler4690]

Now that was funny.

[@creepycrawler4690]

Love JoJo...looks almost identical to my old dog Toby. Sure miss that old dog. That's funny my sister's name is JoJo.

[@DEInTheGarage]

Small world! Sounds like Toby was a heck of a pupper!

[@rexjolles]

My neighbor has a pitbull named JoJo haha

[@kennethlindahl9206]

this guy will never be cold 3 dogs in a xj

[@DEInTheGarage]

Yea buddy... Those windows stay fogged up and full of nose prints

[@icemule]

I'd put the top "lip" of that gauge inside the top of the cutout you made for extra support, combined with the tape you should be good. Maybe velcro on the bottom instead of the white double side.

[@DEInTheGarage]

Damn... Velcro is a perfect idea.. Why didnt I think of that?! I have to take my center stack apart so often to add or maintenance electronics that it needs to be easily removable, yet secure for daily driving. Thanks for that tip! I will be adding that for sure.

[@jameslewis1284]

That is some killer headliner...lol

[@DEInTheGarage]

Lol.. it is the most divisive headliner on the internet. I will put you in the "likes it" column

[@k39564]

Would adding an external vacuum pump add any changes ? especially when going up hill > some sort of vacuum assist?

[@alexchung5804]

Where would you put this on WJ? I’m thinking about the right side of the cluster bezel behind the steering wheel where pedal adjust switch is.

[@MSTrishRN]

I love your dogs and your headliner. Did you install that and is there a video about it? Can't seem to find one.

[@DEInTheGarage]

Thanks! Jude, Rigby, and Jojo say "hello"... Here is the video for the headliner. It is not hard to install, honestly kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6fKgKpsdseMl7s

[@creepycrawler4690]

LMAO

[@gameronphone5193]

Can I install in a atmosphere car?

[@jayscorner5387]

Is your baseline at idle or in gear? Been running once for a while now, found the Crank case breather hose was the leak in my 4.7 WK. I have 16 Hg in gear and 18-19 at idle. But this 4.7 is always in yellow or Red.... and I grandpa the thing, could there be another leak?

[@andrewmarshall777]

Good video man. So I’ve got a 2002 WJ with the 4.7 HO engine, I’m getting like 8.5-9 MPG nearly 90% in town driving running 33 inch MTs and a 4 inch lift is this fairly normal?

[@DEInTheGarage]

yea... a V8 on 33's driving aorund town is not a recipe for good mileage. Have you changed your gearing at all? That might help. I just bought a 4.7 and have been using the "egg trick" to get the best MPG out of it. You pretend like you have an egg between your foot and the gas pedal when driving. It is dumb, but going easy on acceleration and braking can really help. Also, if you are at stock gearing with 33's your have created the worst possible situation for stop and go driving

[@andrewmarshall777]

I’ve got stock 4x4 all time gearing. How big of a project is it to go to swap to 242?

[@DEInTheGarage]

@@andrewmarshall777 The gearing we are discussing out be in your axles, but swapping to a 242 from your 247 would also help MPG as your front axle will be in play at all times. it isnt too hard. You just need to swap your original input shaft onto the new transfer case I have a video of the process coming up

[@andrewmarshall777]

Oops duh my bad haha yeah transfer case obviously different than gear ratio. Tbh I just got this WJ a month and a half ago and I didn’t exactly get a parts list from the guy so I have no idea what the gears are. I’ll need to look into figuring that out once this hellish snow storm blows over. Problem is I’m a college kid in an apartment so it makes it a PITA to get work done. I also always forget my odometer is probably off like 10-12% because of the increase from stock tires so my MPG isn’t quite as bad as I’m thibning

[@charlesdowns1691]

i have eqquis vacume gz

[@matthewsanders6499]

Did you ever figure out the cause of the low vacuum?

[@James-xo4uv]

Why did you wire the gauge light to an power outlet, why not a dash light , so you can dim or brighten as required

[@derekthompson6653]

I got a question? I put my vacuum gage hose to my brake booster that's the only place I can find a vacuum. The gage is working but I want to know for sure if it's not going to cause any damage to my brake booster to hook my vacuum Gaga up to it.

[@DEInTheGarage]

You mean you added a "t" fitting to the booster line, right? Either way, it is not going to damage anything, but I cannot say it is suggested. If the line to the gauge should fail you will lose vacuum to the booster. Brakes will still work, but not as strong. If you email me at [e-mail] I can help you find a better vacuum port.

[@derekthompson6653]

@@DEInTheGarage yes I put a T to my brake booster line.

[@yuree08]

Need help here guys, what do i do if i have below 15inHg? ,can i adjust something?

[@kwame690]

Can it be installed on carbereuted motor cycle

[@DEInTheGarage]

I believe so, yes

[@Grenadieros]

Friendly advice: buy a quality Vacuum gauge and not a cheap one, mine after few years stuck in full open position and i had a huge problem with while i was driving.

[@nagorncaraba4310]

Near the pedals wouldn´t be better?

[@DEInTheGarage]

I do not follow.. Wouldn't it be hard to see down there?

[@RecklessGenesis]

Clear the shifter , me as a European . You aint even moving it 🤣👌

[@charlesdowns1691]

18" steady should indicate normal engine.

[@garlicbreadjenkins5780]

so more vacuum is good less vacuum is bad

[@proofofpurchase747]

Hack job.