I had another of my "Duhhh" moments. Ask the folks at the machine shop where you had the motor work done what they recommend for your steamin' stud. They do this for a living instead of offering shade tree advice.
I had another of my "Duhhh" moments. Ask the folks at the machine shop where you had the motor work done what they recommend for your steamin' stud. They do this for a living instead of offering shade tree advice.
Wow what a stellar suggestion! I rant and rave about how I love my shop, and forget about them when the bullets fly. The "DUH" is on me.
I agree with LarrBeard. Magic mud isn't intended for a permanent solution. My high temp story may have been misleading. High temp RTV would be alright to get you home, but not for a permanent fix.
Get ready for some controversy...
Called a couple of shops. The one I use and, one I used when building engines in Arizona. These are both high end machine shops. Consulting with a few of the builders the response:
"Use black silicone on all studs entering the water jacket!"
I can tell you that while working for Dana, they owned Victor Gasket. The tech guys there swore by it and, Dana used and uses it without any gasket on many things (All Spicer axles since the 1980's). The proper application was stressed. Not to much as excess could enter and cure in lubricant and water. Cleanliness if adhesion was required, was equally important. Used correctly it is good stuff. I have seen the results of careless silicone usage. I saw what happens when it enters the oil pump and, gets into the rollers of a racing engine's lifters.
Apparently this method guaranties a no leak fire up. I am going to let it go for a few more cycles. If it dries up, I'll leave it alone. The front one dried up nicely. If it steams even a little after a break in run, it gets silicone. I'll give a "sit rep" in a few weeks on it, if I remember.
The most interesting conversations are on the "Jalopy" old car web site. The fellows there are so used to it they all say the same thing. Put in some bars leak or, just leave it alone it will stop.
Last edited by bmorgil; 07-01-2019 at 05:45 PM.
While the truck was hibernating in the barn for 35 years, I got greasy and busted a lot of knuckles piddling around with this beast that lives about six miles east of me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X66Bu1IppWI
Those guys taught me not to be in too big a hurry to try to fix minor leaks (at 310 PSI, a lot of things leak at first fit-up). Time and a little corrosion tighten things up in a lot of cases.
(By the way, 765 is pulling about 20 80-foot steel passenger coaches, an auxiliary tender full of water, a tool car and TWO totally redundant diesel-electric locomotives through the Horseshoe Curve at track speed and not even breathing hard).
Nuff said LarrBeard! Nice Locomotive! Now that is a toy.
I will be patient.
I am a bit baffled by the water temp gauge capillary tube. It is so long I could hook up a gauge in the rear tailgate. I am beginning to think someone may have replaced the capillary tube and, did not know how to shorten it? I am unsure if you can do such a thing. This is my first mechanical temp gauge. The gauge appears to be the original. The capillary tube looks different than some pictures I have seen. It is a solid heavy black line. It has no covering. It is fairly ridged. It is a mile long.
I am reading out there on the WWW, that they are all long and you "coil them" under the dash. Someone wrote "if you look under the dash of a WWII Willys you will see coiled tubes".
Last edited by bmorgil; 07-01-2019 at 06:41 PM.
They are all long, and they do get coiled up. The gage you have is a fairly modern gage, where the ones Willys used would go in a circle, with a center needle.
" ...I am unsure if you can do such a thing.. ".
Well, like most everything, you can do it if you really, really want to - but it's a lot of trouble and usually not worth it.
Google "Shorten capillary gauge tubes" and you'll find a lot of info, much of it conflicting.
The mechanical temperature gauge is really a pressure gauge! The capillary tube is filled with either a low boiling point liquid (like a Freon or ether) or a gas that expands when the tip (bulb) of the capillary heats up. As pressure builds in the tube, it uncoils a Bourdon-tube like spiral in the gauge that moves the pointer. (Actual mechanisms may vary a bit - they could be diaphragm gauges ...).
If you cut the tube to shorten it, all the magic stuff in it goes "pfffttt" and escapes, kind of like the magic smoke coming out of electrical parts.
Coil it up, stash it away and carry on!
Good stuff guy's. Thanks, I am clear now. I was confident that the gauge was original, now I am sure it is not. By "modern" gmwillys I am thinking you might mean like maybe 60's 70's? It looks old. In any event Googling the original gauge leads me to believe the repro's are cheap and, effective. I am going to swap it out. This info was imperative in my decision. Thanks again!
Last edited by bmorgil; 07-09-2019 at 08:42 AM.