PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA
Welcome to FordPinto.com, The home of the PCCA => General Help- Ask the Experts... => Topic started by: ToniJ1960 on March 16, 2014, 03:00:12 AM
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Im looking at these digital temperature gauges, but they all come with 1/8 npt threads for the sender.
What about using a 1/8 to 3/8 adaptor I see black iron, brass and aluminum (or aluminuyem as they say in some places).
Whats best brass? Teflon tape on both ends?
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Brass sure seems to work good but I would use liquid Teflon in place of the tape. Got mine at Jegs/ If you ever pull the cam gear use something as it'll pore out and get on the gear and ever where.
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There are stories about Teflon affecting the circuit to ground that electric gauges need. Never done it myself. Seems like the threads should cut through it unless you use so much they can't.
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With the npt threads do you really need anything on them?
Im so used to having a digital temp display now with my Corvette I want one in my Pinto. It pings a little under load and I want to see whays happening with the temps. It might have started after I had the timing belt replaced a few years ago. Im not sure.
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If the teflon interferes with any electrical power flow so will almost anything else you can use, except something that has metal in it like KW Copper-Coat. Myself, never had an issue ever and a hundred gauge installs done. The factory Ford sealer coated on many sensors is teflon based. Wrap the teflon tape one thread short of going off the end of threads holding fitting in your left hand and wrapping AWAY from your body with the left. How to make tape run in correct direction to tighten it rather than ball it up while pulling it backwards to loosen. 3 wraps max, more seals worse not better, the big wad then pulls loose in a lump to expose bare thread. Thinner will roll/impress into the rest of threads. How I did it setting up testing fixtures on up to six inch diameter pipe fittings on 30 foot long heat exchangers and tested to 4500 psi.
Really good quality thread cutting on NPT does not need sealant but better to do it, the quality is always suspect when they shuck those millions of fittings out and probably Chinese made. The thread cutting dies get dull and the dragging roughens up the cut to make for leaking. Using sealer also allows you to greatly lower the torque needed and can save fixing like aluminum intake that cracked from overtightening plug or fitting trying to stop leaking. The lower torque makes it easier to pull parts apart years later too. I have been known to not use sealer on vacuum but always on liquids/fluids.
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3 wraps of Teflon tape is much preferred (to me) to fighting water seeping out through the liquid (Pipe Dope, Pipe Joint compound, etc) version. Tape once, and be done with it. If you wrap it the right direction, the tape seals every time. ;) And it's clean. :)
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I've always used tape wrapped just shy of 2 full times in the correct direction & never had a leak nor an electrical issue. I prefer brass fittings so they don't corrode or fuse to the aluminum intake & rip the threads out if you need to remove it.
I've used the liquid sealer before & it works great too.