Subject: [Healeys] Temp Gauge

From: Bob Spidell <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 13:23:03 +0000 (UTC)

My temp gauge has lost calibration; it indicates 160deg when it should read 180 (I tried a different thermostat with no change). Otherwise, it seems to be working (but reading 20deg low). 

Can the indicator needle be pulled (carefully) off and (re) set to give correct temperature? 

TIA, 
Bob 

-------------------------------- 
Bob Spidell - San Jose, CA 
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From: Richard Kahn <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 07:22:18 -0700

You should check the temp with an infrared gun (Harbor Freight for 30 or so
bucks). Aim at the thermostat housing. Then if you still feel it is off,
remove the sensor and see if there is crud around it. I cannot think of
anything that would cause the needle to have moved. If you don't want to get
an infrared, I can bring one at the next Healey event we both attend. Let me
know where you are headed and I'll let you know if I'm going.
Rich Kahn
So. Lake Tahoe

> Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 13:23:03 +0000
> From: [email-masked]
> To: [email-masked]
> Subject: [Healeys] Temp Gauge
>
> My temp gauge has lost calibration; it indicates 160deg when it should read
180 (I tried a different thermostat with no change). Otherwise, it seems to be
working (but reading 20deg low).
> Unsubscribe/Manage:
http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/healeys/[email-masked]

[email-masked]

---

From: "BJ8 Healeys" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 10:56:50 -0400

Bob, I'm assuming you are referring to your BJ8.  The needle can be pulled
off and reset wherever you want it, but there are two real calibration
points as indicated by two small dots on the face of the gauge between 120 -
160 and at about 212. Although I have no proof, I believe the factory used
these calibration points with specific input voltages in order to make the
gauge reasonably accurate over its full range.  If you pull off the needle
and put it on 180 (if you know for sure the sensor is sensing 180), then the
gauge might be inaccurate everywhere else.  
The best way to check calibration, although a real pain, is to remove the
gauge from the dash and check the gauge reading while the sensor is in
boiling water at sea level.  I did this with my gauge and found it reading
about 10 deg. high.  After pulling the needle off and repositioning it
between the two dots at 212, the gauge was accurate enough for me through
its range.

Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC  USA

-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]]
On Behalf Of Bob Spidell
Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2012 9:23 AM
To: healeys
Subject: [Healeys] Temp Gauge

My temp gauge has lost calibration; it indicates 160deg when it should read
180 (I tried a different thermostat with no change). Otherwise, it seems to
be working (but reading 20deg low). 

Can the indicator needle be pulled (carefully) off and (re) set to give
correct temperature? 

TIA, 
Bob 

[email-masked]

---

From: Bob Spidell <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 15:04:15 +0000 (UTC)

Agreed, and thanks for the offer. At home, I would check against a thermometer; however, I'm on the road (Squamish, Canada) and need to improvise. I put a new thermostat in--in a motel parking lot--and get exactly the same reading (160 with two 180deg thermostats) so at this point I'm convinced the gauge is reading 20deg low. Before I left, I pulled the gauge out a half-inch or so to replace the O-ring. I think I might have stretched or bent something, but IIRC the gauge was reading low before. Also, the gauge indicates 192deg when the engine is turned off, and it used to indicate 212deg exactly. The speedometers are largely calibrated by moving the needle, might try same on the temp gauge. 

Off topic, but I bought a set of wiper blades from Moss and installed before I left knowing we'd likely get rain (we did). Unfortunately, the blades drag so badly the wiper motor couldn't move them. Installed some old ones and motor works fine (the Moss blades--the rubber part--are about a half-inch wide and don't seem appropriate). Anybody else experience this phenomenon? Having a hard time finding replacement blades; thinking of trying 'Trico Classic,' but not sure if they'll fit the wiper arm (which, FWIW, appears to be a 5mm). Got an Anco brand 10" blade--unfortunately the store only had one--and it works great (with an adapter for the arm) but it's black! 

Bob 

----- Original Message -----

You should check the temp with an infrared gun (Harbor Freight for 30 or so bucks). Aim at the thermostat housing. Then if you still feel it is off, remove the sensor and see if there is crud around it. I cannot think of anything that would cause the needle to have moved. If you don't want to get an infrared, I can bring one at the next Healey event we both attend. Let me know where you are headed and I'll let you know if I'm going. 
Rich Kahn 
So. Lake Tahoe 

[email-masked]

---

From: Bob Spidell <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 15:08:14 +0000 (UTC)

re: " I believe the factory used 
these calibration points with specific input voltages in order to make the 
gauge reasonably accurate over its full range" 

AFAIK, the gauge is entirely 'mechanical,' driven by expanding ether moving a Bourdon tube. Thanks for the tip on the needle, I think if I can get 180 when running stable I'd be happy. 

I know the speedos have a 'calibration' point--a small white dot at about (negative) 5MPH--but I don't see any dots on the temp gauge. Mine used to read 212 exactly when I shut the engine down, so it was probably accurate before. 

Bob 

----- Original Message -----

Steve Byers 
HBJ8L/36666 
BJ8 Registry 
Havelock, NC USA 

[email-masked]

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From: Tom Felts <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 11:53:09 -0400

Could be the sensor itself--the original sensor on my E-Type finally failed and now I have gone thru 2 aftermarket ones that did not send the correct temp reading to the gauge.  Using an infrared gun, when the indicated temp on the guage was slightly less than 110C, the actual temp was about 84C.  I'm still truing to find on that works properly.

tom

---- Richard Kahn <[email-masked]> wrote: 

=============

[email-masked]

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From: "BJ8 Healeys" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 12:06:01 -0400

Bob, I guess I had my brain in neutral when I said bvoltagesb.  O.K.,
input bpressuresb or whatever signal the factory used to calibrate them.
The Bourdon tube drives a mechanical movement for the needle, and it must have
some calibration adjustment.  It has been a long time since I had a temp gauge
opened up, but most Smiths gauges have an internal way to adjust the
sensitivity of their response if you know which inputs to use.
212 is the normal position of the needle when the engine is shut down hot, as
I have observed on many BJ8s.  My temp gauge has both sets of white dots.  The
oil pressure side of the gauge, interestingly, has no dots unless the black
dot I see on the white 60 psi mark is a real dot.  The fuel gauge has single
white dots near B<, B=, and B>.

If your concern is just to get a 180 reading while youbre on your road trip,
then why not just make the mental correction?  What really matters is when it
changes from its normal steady state, mostly when it suddenly starts reading
higher than normal so you can check for actual overheating.

I think I read somewhere a comment by Geoff Healey that it was a mistake to
put numbers on the temp gauge.  My MG Midget has only C (old), N (ormal), and
H (ot).

Have fun on your trip!
Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC  USA

From: Bob Spidell [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2012 11:08 AM
To: BJ8 Healeys
Cc: healeys
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Temp Gauge

AFAIK, the gauge is entirely 'mechanical,' driven by expanding ether moving a
Bourdon tube.  Thanks for the tip on the needle, I think if I can get 180 when
running stable I'd be happy.

I know the speedos have a 'calibration' point--a small white dot at about
(negative) 5MPH--but I don't see any dots on the temp gauge.  Mine used to
read 212 exactly when I shut the engine down, so it was probably accurate
before.

Bob

[email-masked]

---

From: Jim Werner <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 May 2012 12:25:16 -0400 (EDT)

I had the same problem on my BJ8 and it got progressively worse.

I found that the capillary tube was shorting against the Overdrive relay and
basically welding the tube shut.

Jim Werner
Louisville, KY

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Kahn <[email-masked]>
To: bspidell <[email-masked]>; healeys <[email-masked]>
Sent: Sun, May 27, 2012 10:26 am
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Temp Gauge

You should check the temp with an infrared gun (Harbor Freight for 30 or so
ucks). Aim at the thermostat housing. Then if you still feel it is off,
emove the sensor and see if there is crud around it. I cannot think of
nything that would cause the needle to have moved. If you don't want to get
n infrared, I can bring one at the next Healey event we both attend. Let me
now where you are headed and I'll let you know if I'm going.
ich Kahn
o. Lake Tahoe

 My temp gauge has lost calibration; it indicates 160deg when it should read
80 (I tried a different thermostat with no change). Otherwise, it seems to be
orking (but reading 20deg low).

orrect temperature?

 TIA,
 Bob

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