Gauge Install Question

[TJany]

Hey All,

I ordered Auto Meter gauges for my 06, and have a question about the exhaust temp install. Obviously i have to drill and tap the manifold, but my question is with the probe in the nipple. the probe itself simply has a set screw to hold it in place in the nipple. how is that supposed to seal, or am i missing something? it just doesn't make sense. any help would be appreciated

Thanks, Tim

 

[jwc9]

Just installed mine yesterday. Mine has a fitting like a brass fitting you would use with plastic line. It has a ferral inside the probe goes through and seals it up.

 

[ToddK]

Tim,



I am not a mechanic, however, you need to drill a 7/16? hole into your ex manifold between the 3rd and 4th exhaust ports. Then you must tap this hole with a 1/4 npt tap of the appropriate size. Do not run the tap all the way through or you fitting will not tighten up. There is a fitting that is threaded on both ends that goes into the manifold, then the probe goes into that with a nut that screws onto the top if the first fitting, thus holding the probe in place.



I also just installed a set of Auto Meter gauges. Before these, I had a shop install an Outlook Monitor, so my manifold was already drilled and tapped. A lot of guys do it themselves, but I was a little nervous about doing the tap myself.



Make sure that you have the appropriate size bits and tap and put grease on the bit to catch any metal shavings and then after the tap insert a magnet to get the rest.



Good luck!

 

[SNoyes]

Wait a second!! Be sure to match up what you need. I think some of the gauges may be a 21/64s and a 1/8 NPT. Check first. .

 

[steved]

Wait a second!! Be sure to match up what you need. I think some of the gauges may be a 21/64s and a 1/8 NPT. Check first. .

True, my Granatelli is 1/8"NPT... took an 11/32" bit (or 5/16" if you have one).



I did it a little differently, as was explained to me, this prevents chips from getting into the manifold...



I took a small bit and made a dimple about 1/8" deep where I wanted the probe (this acted as a guide for the larger drill bit).



I then drilled the manifold with the truck running... this forces the chips to be blown out of the hole, so wear eye protection... do not force the drill, allow it to cut at its own speed. I also tapped the manifold with the truck running (used some neversieze on the tap). Make sure you wear gloves when tapping as the exhaust gas is hot.



I had no chip removal, which would have been fun through a 5/16" hole...



Being I had never done this before, I placed some neversieze on the adapter's threads (in the manifold) and on the pyro probe tip and threads to aid removal if that ever needs to happen... I just hope it doesn't allow the probe to back out.



steve

 

[TJany]

thanks for the replies, but my fitting is different, i have no nut for the top of the fitting, just a set screw in the fitting to hold the probe in place... either i'm missing something or i have something totally different. My probe is fairly long and in an "L" shape, from the directions this is for proper depth placement, i just don't understand how its going to seal...

 

[MSLiechty]

I just installed a Dakota Digital gauge yesterday. An did this. It uses a 1/4" NPT thread which requires a 7/16" hole and the 1/4 NPT tap is 1/4-18. The fitting is tapered and seals as it is threaded in.
The pucker factor is pretty high while drilling on the manifold and the manifold is much thinner than I thought it should be. I tapped it using an open end wrench as my tap holder is too small for this tap. I got my tap from McMaster Carr and it was like $6. 00, let me know if you'd like it. For the shipping costs it is yours.

Michael

 

[MPerez]

I had the same setup with my first Autometer Pyro; the set screw fitting screwed into the manifold (it was 1/8 pipe thread) and the pyro probe slid through the fitting and the set screw tightened it down. The problem with that was come time to remove said set screw it wouldn't come out... So destroyed a perfectly good probe by unscrewing the fitting with the probe still installed. On the next go-round I replaced the pyro probe with the same one but found a compression fitting using a brass ferrule (I think it was 3/16") that had a 1/8" pipe thread fitting to replace it. This worked fine (though I had been worried about the brass fitting taking the heat it appears that it doesn't ever get to the melting point of brass...

Hope this helps, though it's a couple of weeks since this was first posted.