Does Plastigauge have a Use By Date?

[Synchro909]

The title pretty much says it all.
I take delivery of another Model A soon and I've been told the bearings rattle a little on start up so I want to check the clearances. I have some plastigauge somewhere but it is a few years old. Does it deteriorate with time or am I safe to use it. I know there are other methods of checking bearing clearances and I'll use one if it is not safe to rely on the old plastic.

 

[Tiny]

I think it's safe. If your concerned buy new, it's not like plastiguage is going to break the bank.

 

[Mike V. Florida]

I use the aluminum foil method, no use by date.

 

[Synchro909]

Tiny,
I agree about a stick of plastigauge not breaking the bank but I know I have some here some place.
Mike, I was going to use the newspaper (any paper would do) method - basically the same as foil. using paper would save me going out in this crappy weather. Hasn't risen above 7 degrees all day. Might not be extreme by US standards but it is miserable here.

 

[Terry NJ]

Let me see. The conversion is 1 deg.C is equal to 1.8 degF so if I worked it out correctly, 7 deg. is 32 + 12/13 deg or about 44/45 deg. F. I know it's mid winter down there, but that's balmy by our standards. Last winter, at one point, it hovered just above 0 deg. F for a while. You could kill all the Brown Snakes and Taipans in two days with our temperatures.
Terry

Tiny,
I agree about a stick of plastigauge not breaking the bank but I know I have some here some place.
Mike, I was going to use the newspaper (any paper would do) method - basically the same as foil. using paper would save me going out in this crappy weather. Hasn't risen above 7 degrees all day. Might not be extreme by US standards but it is miserable here.

 

[Synchro909]

Let me see. The conversion is 1 deg.C is equal to 1.8 degF so if I worked it out correctly, 7 deg. is 32 + 12/13 deg or about 44/45 deg. F. I know it's mid winter down there, but that's balmy by our standards. Last winter, at one point, it hovered just above 0 deg. F for a while. You could kill all the Brown Snakes and Taipans in two days with our temperatures.
Terry

Like I said, "Might not be extreme by US standards". I know you guys have worse temperatures esp in the north but recently we had Canadian visitors who said they had never been so cold as they were here. I don't explain it, just recount it.

 

[Bob Bidonde]

From experience, Plastigauge does have a shelf life and it gets brittle when expired. If your Plastigauge is pliable, use it.

 

[clo2jim]

The proper formula to convert from Fahrenheit (°F) to Celsius or Centigrade (°C)

is (45°F - 32) X 5 / 9 = 7.2°C

or

Convert from Celsius (°C) to Fahrenheit (°F)

is (7°C X 9 / 5) + 32 = 44.6°F


The engineer has come out in me
Jim

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

Be sure to use oil with the plastigauge. It helps the plastic to move and makes for a more accurate reading. It also helps to remove the material when done.

 

[Synchro909]

Be sure to use oil with the plastigauge. It helps the plastic to move and makes for a more accurate reading. It also helps to remove the material when done.

Thanks Tom, I'm aware of that. I've decided to buy a new piece of it to make sure I'm OK. There is too much work involved for me to want to do it all again if the old stuff doesn't give the right reading. I'll be doing all of this as I go through the car as I always do with a new (to me) one. Conversion to RHD will happen at the same time.

 

[Terry NJ]

What! Using a formula? That's cheatin, isn't it? Many moons ago, I found the C =water freezes at 0 and boils at 100. F= water freezes at 32 and boils at 212 0r 180 degrees of range or1 degree C = 1.8 deg F. Therefore measuring with the F scale and converting to C, requires going down to zero, multiplying by 1.8 and adding 32. I'm a HS dropout! But my Dad was an Electrical Engineer with his master's in engineering. Dad used to get mad at me for not following the formulae in my school books, but it was easier to see the problem in my mind's eye than memorize formulae.
Terry

The proper formula to convert from Fahrenheit (°F) to Celsius or Centigrade (°C)

is (45°F - 32) X 5 / 9 = 7.2°C

or

Convert from Celsius (°C) to Fahrenheit (°F)

is (7°C X 9 / 5) + 32 = 44.6°F


The engineer has come out in me
Jim

 

[CarlG]

I think it's safe. If your concerned buy new, it's not like plastiguage is going to break the bank.

Then, the plastigage you have is most likely newer than what's in the store!

 

[CarlG]

7c = 44.6f