add temp gauge to cub?

[Pete]

Greetings all. I recently got my first Cub (SN 5233) and finally have her running well. Am using her essentially as a big lawn mower, works great and is enjoyable to run.

I was thinking of adding a water temp gauge. I have a blank spot in the dash that the guage would install to rather easily, but where to put the sensor bulb? I don't see any tapped holes in the water jacket or the water discharge on top of the engine. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Pete P.
harborcreek, Penna.

[Rick ('50, NC)]

Pete,

If you will look on the right side of the engine where the coolant returns to the block after passing through the radiator, you will see that the water hose attaches to a casting. On the bottom of that casting is a flat spot that can be drilled and tapped for a sensor. I think that it was used for temperature gauges on C-60 (Cub) motors that were used on power units. I may be wrong, but it seems that I read this somewhere.

Best of luck with your Cub.

[Pete]

Rick --

Thanks, I'll look for that spot on the casting. Just curious, on other applications I'm familiar with the temp sensor is into the water jacket at the far rear of the engine. I had always assumed that it was there so that one would measure the maximum temp in the water jacket. If I were to put the sensor in the return elbow it would measure the minimum temp of the system.

Any idea what temperature gradient exists between intake and discharge water? I would think it would be quite a bit but have never measured it.

Thanks,

Pete P.

[George Willer]

Pete,

If you will look on the right side of the engine where the coolant returns to the block after passing through the radiator, you will see that the water hose attaches to a casting. On the bottom of that casting is a flat spot that can be drilled and tapped for a sensor. I think that it was used for temperature gauges on C-60 (Cub) motors that were used on power units. I may be wrong, but it seems that I read this somewhere.

Best of luck with your Cub.

That spot is where the radiator drain was on power units. With their different radiator system, it was at the lowest point.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Pete, since a cub has no water pump or thermostat the temperature at the rear of the water jacket is going to be running near boiling all the time. I've checked the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the radiator. After 30 minutes of mowing at 90 degrees, the top of the radiator runs about 200 degrees, and the temp at the bottom was 100 degrees. A sensor in the bottom hose will tell you if the system is wrking properly, but one in the jacket will always be right at the boiling point.

[mymariah]

I also have an empty hole in the dash of the cub - There are 2 cutouts that are about 2" in diameter - in one I have a ampmeter/voltmeter(whatever it is) - but it doesn't sound like the temperature gauge is standard in the other hole - so what is supposed to be there?

[George Willer]

I also have an empty hole in the dash of the cub - There are 2 cutouts that are about 2" in diameter - in one I have a ampmeter/voltmeter(whatever it is) - but it doesn't sound like the temperature gauge is standard in the other hole - so what is supposed to be there?

Most Cubs only have one gauge... an ammeter. If the other knockout has been removed and bothers you, I think you would find an oil pressure gauge more useful than a temp gauge. The installation would be much easier too.

[Rudi]

That is exactly what I did. I hated the empty punch-out in the dash and I really did not like leaning over to see where the oil pressure was at. Sooo, I bought an original IH Oil Pressure Guage off of an H, removed the Cub guage on the filter housing, ran a steel brake line from the filter housing to the back of the guage in the dash.

Took about an hour, now I can see my Oil Pressure at a glance, and I don't have an empty punch-out in my dash!

Win - win situation.

[Jack Donovan]

Or a Hour meter would be nice"

[Pete]

Thanks all!

You know, that answeres another question too. I was really worried because the return water to the radiator was always so darn hot. Wonder why IHC didn't give the little girl a water pump?

Thanks again,

Pete P.

[BOB K.]

As far as a hour meter goes has anyone seen one for 6volts? I have a old tow behind gas air compressor that is 6volts. I have only found a 8-12volt meter. I would like one for that and the Cub.

[George Willer]

We have an Aeronca Chief airplane, built in 1941. It has an hour meter with no electrical connection at all. (There is no electrical system at all) It must be wound up like an alarm clock. Any vibration at all starts it running, and it stops whenever it gets quiet. If they are still available, it is just what you need.

[welderrx]

Northern hydraulics used to sell a tach/hourmeter called a tiny tach, it had its own battery you would wrap its inductive lead around a spark plug wire and it would read Rpm once the engine is shut down it read the hours on the engine. I can't find a catalog around right now but they used to be on the page with all the small engine stuff. T.J.

[Jack Donovan]

I have run across a couple 6V hr. meters and past on them simply because I'm sure they weren't Positive Ground. Figured if I hooked it up it would run backwards.