R19 mystery gauge and lights

Leonard Hofstadter

Here's a question I'm hoping some of ye might be able to answer. I happened to see an R19 recently enough, and it reminded me that when I was a child, I used to go to school in one. I didn't know much about cars back then, but one thing I do remember is it had a funny gauge. It used to shoot up (and light up in different colours) before the engine was started, and then go back down to the bottom thereafter. It would never move after this. I think it measured the oil level, so if the gauge went all the way to the top the car had enough oil and if it didn't move at all then it was below the minimum?

If that is the case, then it's an awful pity they don't fit it to cars anymore. Especially as most cars only tell you they've not got enough oil when the oil pressure light starts to flicker under hard braking (or sometimes at idle), and when it comes on at that stage, then the car is way below the minimum amount of oil it needs.

It's the one highlighted in black in the attachment.

Also, does anyone know what the light below the choke light (the one with the squiggley line running through the box and circled in red) and the 'EXC' lights (circled in green) were for?

kev1.3s

This is the idea?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iDdx53CtGvY

bennya

Yep, that gauge is your electronic dipstick. You can see the dipstick icon light up in the video posted above. Very handy feature alright.

As for the other two lights - I have no idea unfortunately. I learned how to drive in two separate R19's (one petrol, the other diesel) and I don't recall ever seeing them light up.

Red Kev

Nobody knows about the box with the squiggly line.. it can be water in diesel, or an elctronic fault or power steering depending on who you talk to, very odd.

http://www.usedcarmart.co.uk/forum/threads/9946-Renault-5-Auto-(DashBoard-Warning-Light)

or here:


http://www.drivingtesttips.biz/renault-clio-dashboard-engine-warning-lights-symbols.html

ELECTRONIC FAULT WARNING
Warning light initially illuminates with ignition and extinguishes a few moments later. A fault with the injection computer or automatic transmission when light illuminates whilst driving. Consult authorised Renault technician.


The clever ones on this forum will tell you the "EXC" is short for "Excrement", but the R19 was a decent bus in its day. The vans used to be everywhere at one stage, they disappeared very quickly like a lot of car-vans.

BrianD3

Cars do still have a version of this, well any Renaults I've owned (most recent 09 Megane) do anyway. On some of them, on starting the trip computer briefly shows 00000 when the oil level is at max, 0000_ when it is down a bit, 000__ when down a bit more etc. On others you get a message such as "no message" or "top up oil" and have to go through couple of screens to see the 0s

Re: the R19, afaik the oil level gauge on normal R19s was also an oil pressure gauge on the 16v version. So the 16v gauge doesn't/shouldn't go to zero when the engine is running.

Alun

BrianD3 wrote: »

Cars do still have a version of this, well any Renaults I've owned (most recent 09 Megane) do anyway. On some of them, on starting the trip computer briefly shows 00000 when the oil level is at max, 0000_ when it is down a bit, 000__ when down a bit more etc.

My '09 Qashqai had the same display on startup.

Type 17

BrianD3 wrote: »

Cars do still have a version of this, well any Renaults I've owned (most recent 09 Megane) do anyway. On some of them, on starting the trip computer briefly shows 00000 when the oil level is at max, 0000_ when it is down a bit, 000__ when down a bit more etc. On others you get a message such as "no message" or "top up oil" and have to go through couple of screens to see the 0s

Popular on many French cars - my mother-in-law's old Peugeot 205 had it, and so does her current (old!) 207.

Mycroft H

Very same gauge was on my 1995 Renault Clio. Very handy feature.