Post by Smorkle on Jun 4, 2010 21:32:36 GMT -6
With all the trouble I was having with my electrical system, I decided to install a voltage meter. I found one at Advance auto parts for $18 so I figured that one would work ok. While I was there I found a mechanical thermometer with real temperature readings and I thought that would be way better than the crappy electric one I had that just reads hot and cold and you have to guess where the sweet spot is.
Anyhow, I took out the "motorcycle sound" and put the volt meter in it's place. It fits in ok and only the holes where the screws held down the face plate are exposed. I wired it up to the running lights so that it would be on when the key was on and off otherwise. This part of the project went very easily.
I removed the instrument panel and measured to see if the new temp meter would fit in it, and it would. I looked at the radiator and discovered where the existing temp sensor was and figured that was the only place to put the new probe. My original plan was to remove the sensor and install the probe and then i got to thinking that the electric fan also uses that sensor to decide when it should be on so I better figure out how to use this hole for both devices. That's when the trouble started.
The electric temp sensor has a 3/8" pipe thread, or perhaps the metric equivalent. The new probe had several adapters and one of them was 3/8". It would not fit in the hole. I took the existing sensor to the hardware store and bought a TEE fitting that it would screw into, a little nipple that would also screw into it and made sure everything fit together properly. Yeah right.
When I got home the sensor would screw into the tee, the nipple would screw into the tee, the new probe would screw into the tee, but the new nipple would NOT screw into the existing hole on the radiator! I finally got my micrometer out and measured the hole: .54" and the nipple: .58" UGH! I messed with that thing for 2 hours trying everything I could think of to get them to screw together to no avail.
I finally was digging through my tool box and found a small pipe threading tool for 3/8" NPT and low and behold it was smaller than the nipple. I used it on the nipple and the damn thing screwed right into the radiator! The other end still screwed into the tee and everything else went smoothly.
I still have to reassemble the bike, but it ran OK, the fan came on at about 160° and off at 140°. The radiator didn't seem to leak but the ordinary lights on the new gauges look funny at night. The rest of the dash is lit up with red LED's but these just have regular white incandescent bulbs and they just look different. Will have to remedy that.
I'll try and get some pics up tomorrow as I didn't take any today, but I'm pretty happy with the results!
Anyhow, I took out the "motorcycle sound" and put the volt meter in it's place. It fits in ok and only the holes where the screws held down the face plate are exposed. I wired it up to the running lights so that it would be on when the key was on and off otherwise. This part of the project went very easily.
I removed the instrument panel and measured to see if the new temp meter would fit in it, and it would. I looked at the radiator and discovered where the existing temp sensor was and figured that was the only place to put the new probe. My original plan was to remove the sensor and install the probe and then i got to thinking that the electric fan also uses that sensor to decide when it should be on so I better figure out how to use this hole for both devices. That's when the trouble started.
The electric temp sensor has a 3/8" pipe thread, or perhaps the metric equivalent. The new probe had several adapters and one of them was 3/8". It would not fit in the hole. I took the existing sensor to the hardware store and bought a TEE fitting that it would screw into, a little nipple that would also screw into it and made sure everything fit together properly. Yeah right.
When I got home the sensor would screw into the tee, the nipple would screw into the tee, the new probe would screw into the tee, but the new nipple would NOT screw into the existing hole on the radiator! I finally got my micrometer out and measured the hole: .54" and the nipple: .58" UGH! I messed with that thing for 2 hours trying everything I could think of to get them to screw together to no avail.
I finally was digging through my tool box and found a small pipe threading tool for 3/8" NPT and low and behold it was smaller than the nipple. I used it on the nipple and the damn thing screwed right into the radiator! The other end still screwed into the tee and everything else went smoothly.
I still have to reassemble the bike, but it ran OK, the fan came on at about 160° and off at 140°. The radiator didn't seem to leak but the ordinary lights on the new gauges look funny at night. The rest of the dash is lit up with red LED's but these just have regular white incandescent bulbs and they just look different. Will have to remedy that.
I'll try and get some pics up tomorrow as I didn't take any today, but I'm pretty happy with the results!
