MTFCA Forum

I tested my Boyce MotoMeter today in a pan of hot water. I have never gotten my engine hot enough to see if it works. One curious thing I noticed is that the red fluid can only be seen on the back face. With the red fluid within the range of the circle, I can't see it from the front. Is this normal or do I have a goofy MotoMeter?

Probably normal. The guy you’re about to run over don’t care how hot your motor’s running . . .

You can't completely rely on a motometer to give you the temperature of the engine, however if it will go up when in a pan of water but does not rise while you drive the car, especially during the summertime, something is wrong with your cooling system. It is not good for the engine to run cold all the time. On the first T I bought, it had a water pump installed when I got it. On one tour in cold weather up in the mountains, we stopped for a rest break and I noticed the other members standing in front of their radiators to keep warm. Mine was cold. Now I run my T's without water pumps and they warm up in cold weather and do not boil over in hot weather. Henry Ford designed his cooling system to work.

Now that I have blown off steam! Let me tell you something about motometers. They are good for letting you know whether the engine is warming up, and also when it is boiling, but not very good at telling you exactly what the temperature is. I have never looked at the front while mine is within the circle, so I could not say whether it can be seen from the front However I think it works like an old style thermometer to see if you have a fever. You can only see the fluid from one side.

Another strange thing about a motometer is that when the red goes all the way to the top sometimes it is impossible to get it down. I have one which was on a car that severely overheated and the red went all the way to the top. I have tried centrifugal force, freezing it and banging it on a tire, but no success in bringing it down.
Norm

Because of the shape of the passage, they are really only viewable from certain angles. Mine I have clocked a little off angled so I can see the red from the drivers seat, if turned to be square to the front of the car, I have to lean over to view. Unlike conventional gauges, the motometer reads temp above the water not immersed in the water.

I have 2 Ts with Motometers both come up into viewing range after the engine warms up but never get into the circle "summer average" the 26 touring has a water pump and when I shut the engine off it pegs the MotoMeter for about a minute belching a little coolant out the over flow. The 23/26 open express only comes up close to the circle when I shut the engine off but unlike the water pump touring the thermosiphon "Cooling" keeps working even after the engine stops. The MotoMeter is made to be viewed from the rear. viewing from the front You wont see any thing most of the time unless it is close to overheating. I just turn My around to the front when working on the car So I can see the temp. Both of My MotoMeters are Boyce recent production. If I want a accurate check of the cooling system operation and engine temp I use a cheap HF infrared Temp gun.

I'm not looking for an accurate temperature reading. There was no angle where I could see the fluid from the front. I bought a new radiator and I'm removing the water pump. I'm going back to stock.

Ditto everything Mark said. Don’t worry about seeing the mercury level from the front. The motometer was designed to be viewed by the operator while vehicle is in motion. And you’re smart to delete the waterpump - unless you need a weight for a trotline. You might even experience a little more performance

The first motometers I bought were made in Germany with MESSKO name plates. The tube is oriented to be read from the right hand seat rather than the left hand seat. This was in the '60s. I'm sure there are many still around with the face plates replaced.

Mark,

Motometers do not have a front or a back. It is however you put it on the car. If I was driving a car and the motometer looked like Rich's in the previous photo, I would say it is on backwards. Others will differ.

I have found that their only purpose is for you to see if the level is consistent. If the mercury is always at the halfway point, and today when you drive it has gone up to the 3/4 point, something is wrong. No different than the lights on your dash. You know something is wrong when they come on, but you do not necessarily know what it is. Time to get something checked.

First of all, not mercury. My motometer can only be viewed from the driver’s seat.

If you want to see from the front do as Jim Davis suggested above and turn the cap around so it faces the front.(I do the same thing). It's not a sealed system.
David;
I never said it had a front or back which it does. The recess that holds the plates is to the front and the disk with the temp scale would of course face the driver. I did say the red can only be view from certain angles.