Moto-Meter

Ralph Round rock

Ralph Round rock

Member
Ok, Guys, How do you test a Moto-Meter?
I keep hearing about seeing red in the bottom of the Moto-Meter and I haven't seen any red yet. Please advise.
Thanks Ralph
 
I would stick it in a pan of water on the stove beside a candy thermometer, then compare the two as the temp rises to boiling.
 
My motometer doesn't show red until it's too late (~210 degrees) :rolleyes: I agree that the best way to check is to put it in hot water with a thermometer, but I wouldn't rely on it to tell me when my motor is too hot.
 
The only way to know the temperature is a guage on the dash. Motometers are for looks and telling you when you're boiling.
My opinion.
 
I have an old repro--1970 vintage, it is still accurate, on my smiths compressor I have one of the russian ones sold in the 60s, it is accurate --messco or something like that.

With a thermostat I will agree that you don't know engine temp--but you do know when you are starting to approach the cooling capacity of the radiator --then it goes up and will approach the thermostat temp, and perhaps go over it ---and it will let you know before boiling.
If a modern repro isn't accurate I would consider it defective.
 
I was disappointed in the one I bought. It seemed kind of expensive and I could not read it from the drivers seat. Water and anti-freeze droplets on the windshield were easier to see.
 
Original Motormeters read STEAM temperature not water temperature. They are calibrated to give a general idea if your engine is running hot or cold. You don't need an actual degree temperature for a stock engine. If your engine were overheating the water would be spraying on your windshield.
 
We will be running an article on the MotoMeter in the Fall issue of the Model A Times. We have found what temperature the various lines indicate and are doing some tests to see if they are at all acurate. We are using original and reproduction MotoMeters to see if they co-inside with the listed temperatures. Should be an interesting article.
 
Sometime back, I read an article someone had wrote regarding the inacuracy of the Moto-Meter, due to the fact the thermo bulb was above the radiator fluid, in the vapor, not submerged in fluid as designed. Some people have tried to aleviate this problem by winding a length of heavy copper wire around the thermo bulb, with the end of the wire suspended down into the coolant. Does it actually work..... ?? Court is still on recess on this one !!
 
Thanks to John LaVoy.

I have heard everything about the Moto-Meter but have not read anything in the Model 'A' News. I will look forward to reading it. I too have lots of questions about mine. (the Quail)
 
My repro did not show red until I fitted a thermostat.

And I had to angle it slightly towards the steering wheel.

If it was dead straight on, I could not see the red because of parallax error (is that the right term?)
 
I tested five off them at the same time, suspended over a pot of water covered with tin foil, and recorded the temperature at various points. Later in cars, I've used an infrared temperature gauge to take the head and radiator temperature and the results matched pretty close to what I had recorded in the pot. I think the main thing is to test your gauge because they are not all the same.

Five motometers (the one on the far right is the reproduction):
motometer_calibration.jpg
 
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