|
|
Post by dogbunny on Jun 21, 2011 23:46:41 GMT -5
 My homemade oil temperature dipstick.  PARTS: Back: donor dipstick. Cut the blade handle off, and cut the stem off (green arrows). Save the cut-off stem, you will need this later. Front Left: thermometer, McMaster-Carr part # 3965K11, specify the 50 to 300 degree F. temperature range, $23.55 plus about $5 shipping. www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/117/577/=cuoefb This is the "clip-on dial thermometer" with 1-3/4" dial and 8" stem length. I ordered this at night, and it came two days later (fast!). Most of the other McMaster-Carr thermometers have 3" dials. This was the best fit in a small-dial thermometer. The 8" stem length is a couple of inches too short, but we'll deal with that later. Note the adjustment nut on the back of the thermometer (blue arrow). Turning this nut rotates the dial needle, in other words, this is how you calibrate the gauge. Front Middle: 1/8" NPT nipple and fitting. Ignore these parts (red X's). These fittings were part of a much more complicated design that didn't work. Front Right: Modified donor dipstick. I made the top surface concave (red arrow) to be a better fit with the back of the thermometer, which is convex. The hole I drilled through it is way too big -- that was part of the complicated design that didn't work. The hole you will drill should be about twice the diameter of the thermometer stem. The hole gap will be filled with JB Weld.  The finished product. Slide the thermometer through the hole you made, and bond with JB Weld. It's that simple. Note the nice bead of gray JB Weld (green arrow). Ignore the 1/8" NPT fitting (blue arrow); that was part of my unnecessarily complicated original design that I couldn't undo. Now you are done, except for one thing -- the dipstick is too short. Take the original left-over piece of stem that you cut off of the donor dipstick, and cut it to size to make up the difference in length. Weld this make-up piece to the end of the thermometer, and you are done. BTW, before you JB Weld everything, take a scratch awl, and deeply etch the shiny tin back of the thermometer so that the JB Weld will have something to grab on to. I put 100 miles on this dipstick while it was still too short -- before I welded the make-up piece on -- and it worked just fine as a temp gauge. It doesn't matter that the short stick doesn't contact the oil in the sump when the engine is cold. When the engine is running, oil is being splashed all over the stick, and it works just fine. The temperature readings I got were consistent with everything I have read about XS650 engines. I put another 100 miles on the dipstick after welding the extension on, and it still worked just fine. I also ran a couple of calibration tests. Before the JB Weld, I calibrated the gauge (using the nut on the back) to 100 degrees (which was the ambient temp here in Texas at the time), comparing it to several weather thermometers. After welding the tip on, I re-checked it, and it was still good. I then checked it again in a pot of boiling water, comparing it to a cook's candy thermometer at 200 degrees. The thermometer-dipstick is accurate. Two final notes: As they pass through the engine, the dipsticks on XS650s are positioned extremely close to one of the tranny gears. The stem of the new thermometer is about twice the diameter of the original stock dipstick. This is just enough to cause rubbing on your new oil temp dipstick, which results in a small groove (red arrow). I took extreme care to make sure my stem was perfectly straight, and the small amount of tranny gear rubbing is negligible in my case, and I am not sweating it. However, it is something to be aware of and to watch out for. Finally, when you do your welding, attach the ground electrode of your welder to the little extension that you are welding on, NOT to the thermometer. The bi-metal thermometer probe does not like having welding current go through it, which is why mine looks somewhat fried in the last picture. Oh yeah, almost forgot -- before you do the JB Weld, screw the dipstick in, and make a note of the orientation of the gauge. You don't want your gauge to be upside down relative to your seated position. |
|
|
|
Post by pamcopete on Jun 22, 2011 5:54:59 GMT -5
dogbunny,
Great idea and product! I have seen similar before, but yours is the first I've seen that incorporates the dip stick onto the thermometer.
If you could make a few of these, I would buy one. Make a bunch and you will sell them. Maybe get a distributor for them as well.
You could get a machine shop to make the threaded part from aluminum and then just add a suitable length of thinner metal rod to the end as you have done with the cut off dip stick starting above the point where it makes contact with the gear by using a shorter stemmed thermometer to eliminate the rubbing problem.
I like your original "complicated" design using a threaded pipe and nut to secure the thermometer. When you get to production quantities, you don't want to be screwing with JB Weld.
You can simply have the main threaded plug drilled and tapped to accept the thermometer.
|
|
|
|
Post by rikroc on Jun 22, 2011 8:52:19 GMT -5
Great idea! I have a sight window and never use the dipstick anyway... Now it will do more than plug the hole!
|
|
|
|
Post by tomterrific on Jun 22, 2011 9:50:07 GMT -5
That looks great! Anyone who doesn't want to saw up their dipstick can use the threads from a plastic oil bottle. Just saw the threads from the bottle and trim up nice. Use epoxy putty to secure a $5 meat thermometer inside the threads. I suppose the thermometer should no longer be used for cooking. ;^)
Tom
|
|
|
|
Post by 5twins on Jun 22, 2011 10:12:41 GMT -5
Really Tom? The threaded portion of an oil bottle fits right in our engine?
|
|
|
|
Post by tomterrific on Jun 22, 2011 10:19:29 GMT -5
Yeah, I think it does just not perfect. This was a tip from Don Sunby (Uncle Done Sunday) from years ago. Better try it before spending the time whipping something up. I have an oil bottle top I use as a small funnel and it screws right in. There may be better, sturdier bottle threads around.
My next big thing is a heat pipe dipstick oil cooler using the thread from an oil bottle but I'm having problems figuring out the working fluid. I want the heat pipe to start working in earnest no earlier than 160° so it doesn't over cool the oil and lead to slow warm-up. I have water, alcohol or acetone that can be the working fluid running form the hottest to coldest start.
Tom
|
|
|
|
Post by dogbunny on Jun 23, 2011 9:25:36 GMT -5
pamcopete, thanks for the encouragement, but I have no desire to develop and market this, although it would be great if MikesXS did, and I will suggest it to them. Oil temp dipsticks are available for every model of Harley, starting at less than $20, but it's weird that they don't seem to be made for any other motorcycle brand.
tomterrific, it would be great if you could use a $5 meat thermometer, but I challenge you to find one that goes above 200 degrees F.
|
|
|
|
Post by tomterrific on Jun 23, 2011 14:24:13 GMT -5
"tomterrific, it would be great if you could use a $5 meat thermometer, but I challenge you to find one that goes above 200 degrees F. "
Yes, and imagine how embarrassing when I let a buddy ride the bike. "Don't let the oil temp get above 'Poultry'! {8^(
I'm just joking around. The oil temp dipstick you made is very well crafted. To use a crappy cheap gauge would be backwards to the care you used when constructing a nice part.
Tom
|
|
|
|
Post by 10ecjed on Jun 23, 2011 17:06:09 GMT -5
I am going to see how long this temp gauge last before i do this mod. It's pretty cool.
Keep us updated.
|
|
|
|
Post by ShakerNorm on Jun 26, 2011 1:19:10 GMT -5
Great idea! I wonder if I can find the parts..... or the time... LOL
|
|
|
|
Post by dogbunny on Jun 27, 2011 12:07:48 GMT -5
"tomterrific, it would be great if you could use a $5 meat thermometer, but I challenge you to find one that goes above 200 degrees F. " Yes, and imagine how embarrassing when I let a buddy ride the bike. "Don't let the oil temp get above 'Poultry'! {8^(Tom Tom, that's pretty funny. Now I wish That I HAD used a meat thermometer, just so that I could use that line. UPDATE -- UPDATE The McMaster-Carr thermometer is better quality than I was aware. It is stainless steel. The glass lens is hermetically sealed, dustproof and leakproof per ASME B40.3. The helix coil is silicone coated for vibration dampening. Et cetera. HOWEVER -- HOWEVER I have learned that the actual bi-metal coil is in the very tip of the thermometer, i.e. the tip is hollow, and you can easily burn a hole in it when you weld the tip on. Be careful, start the arc on the add-on tip, and make minimal arc-contact with the probe tip. BTW -- BTW I've changed my mind about developing this as a product, and am now pursuing it. I am getting prices for thermometers in quantity that would be manufactured to the correct length. I have some experience in mold-making and resin-casting, and the intention is to make a ground-up dipstick-thermometer from all new parts. Stay tuned. |
|
|
|
Post by pamcopete on Jun 27, 2011 16:47:48 GMT -5
dogbunny,
Put me down for one.
|
|
|
|
Post by jefferytodd on Jun 27, 2011 18:32:02 GMT -5
Another here.
Jeffery
|
|
|
|
Post by ShakerNorm on Jun 27, 2011 19:39:24 GMT -5
And me!
|
|
|
|
Post by rikroc on Jun 27, 2011 20:36:46 GMT -5
One here...
|
|
