Motometer stuck

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Norman Kling
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Motometer stuck

Post by Norman Kling » Sun May 15, 2022 11:19 am

My car overheated and raised the red in the thermometer all the way to the top. How can I get it down? I have tried tapping it on the metal end and also put it in the freezer for a while and tapped it again, and just let it standing upright, but it won't go down. This has happened once before and I had to buy a new one. I still have the old one and it has been up for about 5 years.
Norm


speedytinc
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Re: Motometer stuck

Post by speedytinc » Sun May 15, 2022 11:51 am

Norman Kling wrote:
Sun May 15, 2022 11:19 am
My car overheated and raised the red in the thermometer all the way to the top. How can I get it down? I have tried tapping it on the metal end and also put it in the freezer for a while and tapped it again, and just let it standing upright, but it won't go down. This has happened once before and I had to buy a new one. I still have the old one and it has been up for about 5 years.
Norm
Centrifcal force! I have seen a fix where it is mounted in a hand bench grinder & spun.(tinker tips?)
I had the same problem & made an adapter to put in my lathe. It worked.


MichaelPawelek
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Re: Motometer stuck

Post by MichaelPawelek » Sun May 15, 2022 12:00 pm

Jack up one rear wheel on the T and tape the meter on the outside of the tire with the top of the meter towards the hub. Start the T and just idle in low gear. Be sure you tape well or the meter becomes a rocket! :)

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TRDxB2
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Re: Motometer stuck

Post by TRDxB2 » Sun May 15, 2022 12:07 pm

Not sure how old yours is but.. The color in the tube can help identify the liquid in it. Silver liquid indicates that the thermometer contains mercury, while red liquid is alcohol to which red coloring has been added. Both work the same, the heat cause the liquid to expand and rise up the tube when it cools it contracts. Now the question is if the tube is broken or if the liquid has separated.Some have tried centrifugal force. The label says to tap, tap gently - may take awhile.
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jiminbartow
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Re: Motometer stuck

Post by jiminbartow » Sun May 15, 2022 12:23 pm

In Australia in the outback, the Australians make tea by tossing a handful of tea leaves into a can called a billy and boiling it. In order to get the tea leaves to the bottom of the billycan, a string is tied to the handle on top and the billy with the boiled coffee is swung around until the leaves are at the bottom. Same can be done with your motormeter. Jim Patrick

PS. As a Marine Sgt. stationed in Australia from January, 1976 to March, 1977, I was an embassy guard at the American embassy in Canberra, Australia, I had the opportunity to have billycan coffee with sheepherders in Adelaide, Australia when I drove across the outback with my girlfriend to visit her family. The coffee was strong but it was great for I like my coffee strong.

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David Greenlees
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Re: Motometer stuck

Post by David Greenlees » Sun May 15, 2022 12:54 pm

I have used the tire method when restoring them several times with old originals and it's always worked fine, but it takes quite a bit of time and a lot of effort.
Last edited by David Greenlees on Mon May 16, 2022 6:37 am, edited 1 time in total.


speedytinc
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Re: Motometer stuck

Post by speedytinc » Sun May 15, 2022 1:04 pm

My first try in the lathe didnt work running for a minute. I figured there wasnt enough radius in the operation. I refixtured to the maximum throw of 11"
spun it for a few seconds. I could see the liquid was down. Results were immediate.


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Re: Motometer stuck

Post by modeltspaz » Sun May 15, 2022 1:18 pm

If you lack the proper equipment to "Shake down" a liquid filled thermometer such as an engine lathe, or something of that type, I have read right here on the forum that posters have successfully remedied a stuck Motometer by SECURELY attaching the problematic Motormeter to the end of a rear wheel spoke.
Jack said wheel up off the floor. Start the car and let the wheel spin.
This should remedy the problem.

Good Luck,
Mike Spaziano.
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Wayne Sheldon
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Re: Motometer stuck

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Sun May 15, 2022 7:05 pm

It is possible the thermometer could have burst if it got too hot. The hot liquid has a dye in it, and if too hot seems to be able to stain and dry inside if the fluid blows out the thin bottom of the glass. I have never seen this happen with original Motometers. But I have seen it a couple times with newer reproduction meters.

I have over the years fixed several original meters that had risen and stuck. I have used both centrifugal and pounding methods with success. I have also broken two using the pounding method. Although that was years ago when new replacements were available, so I was able to repair them and make them nice again.
I still have one nice original Motometer that is firmly stuck at the top. Every couple years I take it off the shelf and spend about an hour trying to coax it down, so far without success. It may be possible the thermometer inside may have broken, although the usual confirming signs are not present. And since new replacement thermometers are not readily available anymore, I hesitate to take it apart.

So try some pounding on a spare tire. I usually try a low pressure tire after breaking two of them on higher pressure tires. Or set up some sort of centrifugal method. Just be certain the Motometer is facing the right way and very secure because you don't want it to fly away! (I saw that happen once, amazingly, after ricocheting three times the meter was not broken!)
I have used a bicycle upside down, with the Motometer secured in the bike's rear wheel. Sitting upside down the pedal is cranked to spin the rear wheel. It works a bit better if you add a counterweight on the opposite side of the wheel.

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