Pyrometer

[Bob Bancroft]

It appears that pyrometers available require 12V. Does anyone know where I could get one which is totally mechanical, no electricity required, or if there is such a thing, or not?

 

[DoubleO7]

It appears that pyrometers available require 12V. Does anyone know where I could get one which is totally mechanical, no electricity required, or if there is such a thing, or not?

Many
What might the desired use be for?
Handheld?
Panel mount?
For vehicle exhaust?
For a furnace?
You want the probe to be measuring all of the time?

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Many
What might the desired use be for?
Handheld?
Panel mount?
For vehicle exhaust?
For a furnace?
You want the probe to be measuring all of the time?

To be permanently mounted in diesel engine exhaust.

 

[farmersamm]

Not of any help, but I grew up with pyrometers on the old Cummins 350's I ran in the mountains. I grew up in Denver, but moved to OK about 35 some years ago. If that thing showed a good heat buildup, you'd better drop a gear.

The pyro was mostly for the guys that didn't know how to drive in the mountains, and didn't believe in looking at tachs when climbing a pass. Keep it at 2100, and you're golden. If it starts to drop, or sound like its lugging...........drop a gear. I used to climb Loveland pass in 4th gear on a 13spd at around 12mph................................and go down the other side in the same gear with the Jake on, set for all cylinders. Drag 10psi air pressure all the way down..................never lit the brakes on fire.

First time I ever ran an IHC Eagle(IIRC that was the model of truck) with a 400 horse engine, I knew it would kill people. It had more power than the brakes could handle coming down the hill. It could fool you. Climbing the pass at 20ish mph didn't mean you could go down the other side at that same speed. Brakes are brakes, no matter what engine you got sittin' under the hood. Yeah, you might have more braking with the Jake......but if that Jake goes, motor goes, or driveshaft snaps...................you still gotta depend on the brakes. Floyd Hill claimed a lot of lives over the years.

IMHO, a pyrometer is a poor substitute for knowing your engine.

I worked for a fella once................that would occasionally follow drivers up the Boulder Turnpike. He'd watch for black smoke coming out of the stack. If he saw it.............the guy would get a talking to about the reason the truck had a gearbox.

Same same with tillage. Don't tell me that someone doesn't know when the motor is working hard. You can feel it, and hear it. Drop that sucker to a lower range. That piece of equipment puts food on your dinner table.

IMHO

 

[DoubleO7]

To be permanently mounted in diesel engine exhaust.

 

[used red MN]

Here is one, Pyrometer The lead sets and probes are sold separately. I chose this one because the link has a PDF manual named “Single EGT gauge manual” on the lower left. Not sure if this applies in your situation or not, but you may be having some confusion about installing one of these and the wiring required due to not understanding how they work. All pyrometers will have wire leads, that is how they work by measuring the electrical current produced as the probe is heated “thermoelectric” principle. Open that manual and you will see the lead circuits are a self contained circuits, no external power is used. The exception is if you want to backlight the dial.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Plenty of option$ here:

Aircraft Spruce

 

[caterpillar guy]

I guess most would have 2 wires even though they don't connect to 12v. Just the probe to the gauges on them. I guess I didn't drive right in the mountains with mines since I only got a million miles before I had to change the turbo on that old Cat with 550 HP and 1850 torque on it. Ran all over the country from MI out to Or and WA and east to Baltimore or NH and down to FL also was out to NM and TX with wide loads most of the time. Those Cats will pull and not even sound like they are pulling hard then look at your pyro and if you don't do it soon enough your in the 1100 plus range real quick. As for probes most truck dealers will sell them as a set both gauge and probe. Been a long time since I had to change a probe on one. I just changed the probe and left the gauge in the box. I dropped lots of gears pulling mountains over the years even pulling combines with a little 290 cumapart running from KS to TX then back North into ID and over into the San Louis Valley in CO. Lots of mountains in that route. Any good parts house should have or be able to get you the pyrometer probe usually in a set of both gauge and probe. I suppose most times they are matched.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Here is one, Pyrometer The lead sets and probes are sold separately. I chose this one because the link has a PDF manual named “Single EGT gauge manual” on the lower left. Not sure if this applies in your situation or not, but you may be having some confusion about installing one of these and the wiring required due to not understanding how they work. All pyrometers will have wire leads, that is how they work by measuring the electrical current produced as the probe is heated “thermoelectric” principle. Open that manual and you will see the lead circuits are a self contained circuits, no external power is used. The exception is if you want to backlight the dial.

Thanks, I'll check it out. No confusion. Either a gauge requires 12V or it doesn't. EGT's my local supplier can provide have four wires, two for the probe, and two- 12V + and -. Backlighting is separate.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Plenty of option$ here:

Aircraft Spruce

Mark
I used an IR thermometer to measure exhaust valve temps on a 2 cylinder Kohler command
One cylinder was around 700 and the other was around 900 degrees.
I removed the head on the 700 degree side and lapped in both valves.
That made both exhaust temps the same.
Aren't most Most pyrometers are just a thermocouple, 2 different metals fused together ?
The temp on my volt meter is just 2 metals fused together.