The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop WATER TEMP CAPILLARY TUBE

My truck is a 1/2 ton 1953 with a 235 engine from 1955.
I would like to get my original water guage hooked back up but I can see the previous owner appears to have soft soldered the end into the brass fitting on the back of the guage..How were these hooked to the back of the instrument ? Were they crimped to the back or soft soldered or what ? thanks in advance......

The temperature gauge is a mechanical type (Bourdon Tube) and is filled with alcohol and then soldered shut at the factory. If you cut the tube/bulb the gauge will no longer work. Be very careful when handling/routing the tube to not kink it.

Mike B

thanks Mike....the previous owner broke or cut off the tube and left a nub sticking out.....looks like if I want to get it working I will have to exchange it with the Jim Carter company....thanks...

It's possible to repair those temp gauges by splicing on a cap tube from an aftermarket gauge. You'll need a short piece of copper tube that's a slip fit over the nub that's left on the gauge head, and an aftermarket temp gauge to scavenge the cap tube from. The trick is keeping the fluid inside the bulb while you're doing the soldering.

Get a plastic container like a Tupperware bowl and put several chunks of dry ice in it and fill it with alcohol. Immerse the sensing bulb and as much of the tube as possible in the cold liquid. This will condense the vapors and hold them in suspension while the tube is cut off, filed square, and soldered into the splice tube. Solder the splice tube onto the original gauge head first, since there's no need to keep anything cold on that end. Use a micro-torch or a BIG electric soldering iron, and acid core solder to make the repair.
Jerry

zoegrant,

Let us know the result of that repair job.

It might be worth a try - to save the $50 (w/shipping, after "stovebolt" discount).

I'd first place a want-ad here - people change gauges and might have a good, working, used gauge?

Thank you Jerry for the info on how to complete the repair on this guage.......but.....I will be spending the $50. There are just some things I am not willing to try

Tim...thanks for the Classic Auto supply picture, They are less $$$$ then Jim Carter

after buying 3 brand new aftermarket temp gauges, none of which worked, I eventually just went to Pre-68 Dave and got a 60 year old gauge, works perfectly. One word of advice, before you actually install the new gauge, try it out in a pan of boiling water or however hot you might want to verify, I had to take the gauge panel out twice. And if the box says "COUNTERPART" I would really be sure to test it. It seems most all vendors have the counterpart brand. I have had horrible luck with them, I bought a gas gauge, and the needle stuck out too far and hit the little window in the gauge panel, I had to pull the needle off and drill out the hole so it would go all the way onto the needle shaft, but not before I had to go to harbor freight and get an assortment of itty bitty drill bits, then I had to rig it up in a spare gauge panel and gas tank sender and a battery to get it oriented properly again.

I tried the method HotRod Lincoln is describing twice with brand new after market gauges. I feel I am decent in the garage but I was unable to revive my original gauge...Until I mailed it off to Jim Carter and had him/them rebuild it. I appreciate that he left my original patina face alone as I requested. He even called to verify that is what I meant on the note that I included.