Fuel Temp gauge

[Adam]

I want to get a fuel temperature gauge so that I can get accurate temp readings just before the the fuel hits the IP. Right now I've got a digital meat thermometer clamped to the vegtherm which will tell me if it is maintaining heat or not, but the temp maxes out at 100C and I'm not sure it is giving me a good indication of the WVO temp passing through the vegtherm. I know the WVO passing through the vegtherm is not the smae as the outside temp of the vegtherm, but I'm not sure what the difference is.

Eric, I think you mentioned something about measuring the temp of your oil just before it enters the engine, what are you using?

[TardisDeli]

Hi Adam, I'm not a bio user, but if you want something hotter than a meat thermometer, try a "Candy Thermometer" for making candy, from a good cooking store. Candy boils MUCH higher than water due to the sugar and fat. They all go above 310 degrees fahrenheit (water boils at 212F). But I am sure EricN has found the proper thing, I was amazed at the little door flap he made in the rear quarter panel. Cheers, Christine of the Tardis Deli.

[Adam]

Thanks for the tip. It would be nice to have a higher end range, but really if the oil is 80-90C I'm happy with that. I'll look around for a digital candy thermometer with a probe that I could somehow work into the the fuel line just before it hits the IP. I picked up a water temp gauge from crappy tire for $15. The sensor is pretty large and I was looking for a digital readout, but for the price I can't complain. Now I have to figure out how to get the probe into the the path of the hot fuel before it hits the IP with obstructing flow. I was hoping to be able to fit the probe into a inline glass fuel filter, but it is too large for the one I have. I might be able to fit it into a brass or plastic tee, but I'll have to look around.

[EricN]

I have mine in the fuel supply with a "T" fitting. I put it in the return line so I could see the temps coming out of the pump. That way the controller will heat the oil untill it is well and truly hot all the way through the system. The sensor came with the vo control unit. Do you have a mechanical or electronic temp gauge? If you have an electronic GM gauge one you probably have that monstrously large sensor (1/2" pipe thread I think). If you go to Lordco, you should be able to look through a book of sending units, get the resistance specs on the the sensor you have, then find another sensor with the same resistance range but a smaller thread. Try and find something like a 3/8 pipe thread "T" fitting, put the barbs on the ends and the sensor in the top.

[Adam]

Oh, wow, you got the VO Controller, eh? I've been drooling over that since before I bought the Plant Drive kit. Unfortunately I couldn't convince myself it was necessary to run on veggie oil, and if I couldn't convince myself, what hope would I have of convincing my wife? Maybe Santa will bring me one next year

The temp gauge I got is mechanical with a temp range from 60C to 140C. I'll look around for something with one with a lower end range, but I doubt I'll find one cheaper. The sensor is over an inch long and a 1/4" diameter so I'll hit the plumbing store and Lordco tomorrow night to see if I can find a brass tee to fit it. I see your point about mounting the sensor after the pump, but I also want to know what temp the oil is before it hits the pump. I wonder which is more important? I know we want temperatures of 160F or higher, but is the oil going to get much more heat from the pump before if is sprayed? Knowing very little about how much veg oil is actual in the pump I have no idea if the oil sprayed through the injector has picked up 0F, 10F or 30F from the engine. I know this is all very dependent the engine temp and the RPMs. I guess if I was really curious I could spend another $15 and get another gauge to mount on the supply and return line........not sure if I'm quite that curious

[Adam]

It looks like Edward Beggs of Plant Drive agrees with you, Eric. He thinks it is a better idea to attach the temp sensor to the return line and look for minimum temps of 160F.

[Schwa]

when you're talking about fuel temperature on the return line reaching 160F, you're talking about the diesel temp until it's switched over, correct? and do you (or VO controller) turn the vegtherm on before the switchover to bring the diesel up to that temperature?

[after oil]

temp sensor http://screwdecaf.cx/greasy_mon.html

[Adam]

I do like the idea of the Greasy Mon, but I'd prefer something that would give me the actual temp of the oil in the lines, not the temp outside the lines. It looks like I could tee in those sensors with out much hassle, but I did want to have a gauge or two that told me the temp instead of just a range. Right now I'm just using a CDN Tire digital BBQ thermometer strapped to the outside of the VegTherm to tell me when it is a full temp.

[Schwa]

I picked up a Princess Auto oil temp gauge and used a brass tee on the return line for the sensor, unfortunately the range is too high and doesn't register anything until it's been running on WVO for quite a while... I think what I'll do eventually is just get an analog-digital input for the computer and have it read the sensor's resistance so it can display a temperature.