[T2] CHT with Dakota gauge

[Sami Dakhlia]

I may have used the wrong term. By O-ring I meant the plated copper ring of
the sensor. There's no plastic o-ring there. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
Plug (singular, I only checked #3) is grey, not light brown and definitely
not slightly black.
I parked the bus and am on my way back to Europe. Will continue the odyssey
next summer :)
BTW, found an oil leak at the right valve cover, so put in a new gasket.
The leak is new; I checked the valves a few days ago and didn't have new
gaskets handy. Definitely a source of false air, but didn't get a chance to
test drive afterwards.
Cheers,
Sami

On Monday, August 24, 2015, c.dreike <c.dreike at verizon.net> wrote:

> Sami,
> I looked at the photo. Never seen a spark plug with an O-ring. In any
> case. That o-ring is a bit of plastic. If its seeing 450F. It should be
> rather frazzled as would be your valves. I would bet that the real
> temperature is something south of 400. How do the plug tips look? Normal
> light brown or slightly black? A good indicator that the engine is running
> within limits.
>
> Try dunking the sensor into a pot of boiling water for a reality check at
> 212F. You could add a bunch of sugar and keep boiling with a candy
> thermometer until the hard crack stage, 295-309, or brown caramel at around
> 338F. The water or sugar should not hurt the thermocouple junction.
>
> Cheers,
> Chris
>
>
> On 8/24/2015 2:49 PM, Sami Dakhlia wrote:
>
>> Update on CHT. First of all, here's a picture of the sensor's o-ring,
>> stretched into an egg shape on the first installation.
>>
>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/oon7ftj96sbfldt/file%2024-08-15%2014%2032%2006.jpeg?dl=0
>> My best guess is that the crimped part got caught on the edge of the plug
>> hole recess. I tried to bend it back into something closer to a circle,
>> but
>> I'm pretty confident there's still going to be exhaust leak at the plug,
>> which would contribute to the scary high CHT readings.
>>
>> Second, after adjusting the AFM per the itinerant air cooled website,
>> there
>> has been some slight improvement: temps dropped from 435 to 425 at 55 mph.
>> They dropped another 15 degrees when cruising at 50 mph instead, which I
>> did today on I-5 and I-405 from San Diego to LA. The slightest incline
>> brought about a 15 degree increase uphill and a 15 degree drop downhill. I
>> think I'm going to fiddle with the AFM a bit more this afternoon, in the
>> hotel parking lot.
>>
>> Then again, I already had more than enough "fun" with the old bus this
>> summer. This long-distance relationship is not working out too well. Maybe
>> time for me to ship the bus to France, or for me to move back to the
>> U.S...
>> :)
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Sami
>>
>>
>> On Saturday, August 22, 2015, Sami Dakhlia <sami.dakhlia at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Quick update: found a small vacuum leak. Vacuum hose to fuel pressure
>>> regulator was cracked.
>>> Also followed http://www.itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtopic.php?t=7761
>>> instructions
>>> to check and tune the AFM. Idle mixture screw had been messed with and
>>> was
>>> tightened all the way in. In addition, the engine responded well to a
>>> richer mix across the rpm range. Will do a test drive in the morning.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Sami
>>>
>>> On Wednesday, August 19, 2015, Sami Dakhlia <sami.dakhlia at gmail.com>
>>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> hi Volks,
>>>>> Installed a Dakota Digital cylinder head temp gauge (hat tip to R.
>>>>> Atwell) and took off this morning on a trip from the Bay Area to Santa
>>>>> Barbara. Holy $h!t! The readings are much higher than I thought was the
>>>>> norm. Basically cruising at 55 mph, with
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
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