Cheap pyrometer

DrCharles · Jan 17, 2019

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pyrometer-...t-2M-K-thermocouple-probe-chrome/263060308053

I'm tempted to gamble on this... $68 shipped vs. $190-up for a name brand pyro + probe.
They've sold 138 of them so far. The Chinese stuff is always a crapshoot, of course, but I've gotten some good deals (and some junk).

Checking the calibration could be interesting though. Even boiling antifreeze isn't near hot enough... maybe melting lead? How exactly are temps of 800-1200F generated accurately? :dunno

The_Josh_Bear · Jan 18, 2019

Cant help on the high temps, but that gauge is only 2" and wont fit standard pillar pods or the like, if that helps any.

I got the autometer phantom pyro, about $135 and the pyro died after 5 years. BUT type K probes are only about $17 so the important thing is to get a gauge you like/find useful.

Oledirtypearl86 · Jan 18, 2019

I've got a hypermax pyro I think of it as cheap insurance what's 130 bucks when it comes to a motor but that's my .02

Clb · Jan 18, 2019

I put a cheap glowshift unit in the 88, it took longer it install it that it toom it to stop holding the preset color, then the thermocouple quit...
So blow the bank spend a hundo or so.

DrCharles · Jan 18, 2019

The Autometer pyrometers (and all their gauges, I think) had a substantial price increase for 2019. So I was surprised to find them much cheaper through Amazon than Summit (the 2654 I'm thinking about is only $130). They're selling out fast though, not surprisingly. Thanks for the tip!

I don't want gauges on the pillar and plan to make my own mounting bracket, so the non-standard size isn't an issue. The compartment to the right of the steering column would work but it's too hard to see down there while driving. Maybe the ashtray since nobody smokes in my truck. Or right on top in the center pocket of the dash.

austin92 · Jan 18, 2019

2” and 2 1/16” gauges are all the same. Some people leave off the 1/16 and then there’s manufacturing tolerances. 1/16” wont make or break figment. I’ve put 2 1/16” in 2” pods and visa versa. Some are a little snug, some are a little loose no matter what pod/gauge combo you run

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gandalf · Jan 18, 2019

The_Josh_Bear said:
Cant help on the high temps, but that gauge is only 2" and wont fit standard pillar pods or the like, if that helps any.

...

Lets clear up the first issue, which isn't all that important anyway. If you read the full EBay ad they state that the gauge is 2-1/16 As far as I'm concerned that is the normal size for aftermarket gauges. The variance comes in the gauge pod you're putting them in.

Second issue, is it worth it, is it wise, to buy inexpensive gauges? Yes, you save money initially. However, if the gauge fails and you fry an engine, that is a rather significant expense. Personally, I'm willing to pay a bit more for a better gauge if it protects my engine more, and gives me peace of mind.

DrCharles · Jan 18, 2019

Good point, but it's a very unlikely failure mechanism to read just low enough to be believable, while high enough to damage an engine! If the thermocouple burns open (by far the most common failure), the gauge pins at zero.

If the meter & driver fail in some odd manner as above, the readings will almost certainly be way "off" at light load and idle, too. When your pyro says EGT at cruise is 300 and it was always 600 before, that should register immediately as a metering problem... similar if towing a load up a grade at 10 psi boost, I'd know the pyro is lying if it no longer says 1000

I have a brand-new pyro Triplett panel meter in my junk box, all I'd need is a $19 K-type probe, but it's 4-1/2" rectangular, and is a lab instrument which I don't think would tolerate the vibrations and hard ride of my truck

Thewespaul · Jan 18, 2019

Maybe use the panel meter to set a baseline, a lot of the cheaper gauges will read off from the get go, so you won’t have a baseline to notice that it’s reading 300 instead of 1000. If the gauge is loose in the pod, you can wrap some electrical tape behind the bezel of the gauge to get it to fit snug and not vibrate loose.

DrCharles · Jan 18, 2019

Yep, I already thought about that... but also reminded myself of the old saying, "A man with one watch always knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure"

Once the conversion is complete I may do just that - fire it up with the probe connected to the panel meter, then connect to the dash pyro, and see if they agree!

Anyway I figured the diesel gurus here would be able to tell me (approximately) what the idle, light-throttle cruise and WOT temps should be. I do realize that it won't be 300 with the pedal on the floor

but more data would help.

nj_m715 · Jan 18, 2019

https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_21&products_id=504

https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_26&products_id=591

DrCharles · Jan 18, 2019

Thanks... but I much prefer analog gauges for measurements that are constantly changing

Clb · Jan 18, 2019

Stickie on how to make a gauge bezel on here somewhere

DrCharles · Jan 18, 2019

I have hole saws, and a friend with a big sheet metal brake ;Lick

no problem.

austin92 · Jan 18, 2019

DrCharles said:
Yep, I already thought about that... but also reminded myself of the old saying, "A man with one watch always knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure"

Once the conversion is complete I may do just that - fire it up with the probe connected to the panel meter, then connect to the dash pyro, and see if they agree!

Anyway I figured the diesel gurus here would be able to tell me (approximately) what the idle, light-throttle cruise and WOT temps should be. I do realize that it won't be 300 with the pedal on the floor but more data would help.

You’ll see about 190* cold idle, maybe 300* hot. Your temps should run roughly x10 your mph. 60mph=600*. Free flowing exhaust might drop that 50-100*. Cold ambient temps will drop that x10 also. Wot will get you to 1200 no problem lol

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Cheap pyrometer

DrCharles

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Oledirtypearl86

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Clb

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