Recommend a good thermometer tap
 

http://www.lady-natalya.info/images/thermo-01.png

I got one of those thermometers on the left there.

The probe is actually just a small metal cap thing. I want to get it on the water distributor. For an accurate reading my understanding is that I need to tap the distributor and put the probe in there with an appropriate bolt somehow. Can y'all recommend a bolt with a concave section cut out of the middle that the probe could fit in to, or am I perhaps going about this wrong?

If, by water distributor, you meant the water pump, that is not normally where the temperature of the water/coolant is measured. It is normally measured somewhere near where the coolant leaves the engine to go to the radiator. Somewhere on the engine block or head.

Post a picture of the probe temperature probe.

Another option is to find the right spot (as noted, very close to where the hot coolant exits the block) and epoxy the probe right to the metal, and then cover it with an inch of pink or blue high density styrofoam. That makes the probe read pretty much the same temps on the outside of the metal as on the inside of the metal.

@solarguy:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...nsight_IMA.jpg

In this photo, the big black tube is the air intake, but right above the IMA there's a black hose coming down. I'm pretty sure that's the hose from the water distributor to the radiator because on the car that one goes to the top of the rad and well gravity means rad intake is on top of the rad usually.

I was thinking of tapping that thing there, what I'm calling the distributor, somewhere near where that rad hose is.


http://coralux.net/wp-content/upload...1-1024x682.png

My thermometer probe looks like this but smaller. Maybe 6mm diameter and 15-20mm length.

Do y'all think that if I use the insulation trick it will be good enough for me to make sure I don't overheat?

Accuracy and response time are kinda important. The goal is don't warp the cylinder head by installing grill blocks and driving it in Georgia in the middle of August.

So the one you have a picture of, it's like the probe is inside that bolt-looking contraption, I'm calling that a tap because it gets tapped into somewhere that has coolant or whatever, let me know if there's a more accurate term.

Question 1:
If I buy a probe/tap combo thing like your picture above, will it still work with the readout device I have? Or would it in all likelihood be calibrated wrong? I could test it with a kettle of boiling water, but I think it's better to find out before I buy it.

Question 2:
Assuming any probe/tap combo like that which I got would be calibrated wrong for my readout thing, what I was trying to ask in OP was is there just the tap portion I can buy somewhere then put my probe into that empty tap? Or maybe I just get a bolt and drill a hole in it that fits then use the bolt as a tap?

Natalya, Where does the mfg of your sensor suggest that it be placed? There should be some installation instructions for the accessory.

You can do an independent confirmation by using an IR thermometer and basically looking for the hottest spot you can find at your proposed location.

Here's a cheap one. Mine has been surprisingly accurate and I've had it for almost a decade now. This is -similar- to mine.

Infrared Thermometer - Non-contact, Digital Thermometer

So yeah, find the hottest spot, mount your sensor and insulate it well. You can also do a reality check by comparing the reading of your sensor/gauge with a known accurate coolant temp. Does your car not have a coolant readout? Perhaps a scangauge would give you access to that number??? I would not bet my car on a cheap thermometer, not designed for this application. Not without a lot of verification that it was telling me what I thought it was telling me.

If accuracy and response time are important, the sensor needs to be in the coolant.

The readout is designed for a certain type of sensor. If it is designed for a Type K thermocouple, an RTD will not work. The readout instructions will tell what type of sensor will work.

Threaded sensors usually have pipe threads. Pipe threads are cut on a taper so that the sensor will fit tight when screwed in. Pipe thread sizes can be confusing - a 1/4" NPT thread is about 1/2" diameter.

The tap thing you asked about is called a thermowell. They are expensive because they are used in difficult industrial applications. You would be better off to get the right sensor.

Probably long old but,,, From industrial AC suppliers there is a gadget called a "Petes Port" it is designed to allow a temporary probe insertion to a fluid without leaking much. It has a cap for when not in use.Might be handy for testing or with a minot mod be permanent.