Yea, I can go out and spend $100+ USD on a manometer, but I enjoy making a tool, if I can ...
(FWIW, I also made a brake pressure bleeder using a Roundup pressure sprayer, but that's for the Jag forum ...)
So, I had a previous DIY manometer, but thought I'd upgrade ... here's mine - couple of photos follow.
Parts:
In retrospect:
Hooked up to bike and free-standing ...
EDIT: added a video (thought not quite synced):
[video=youtube;aXL2AMY2pq4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXL2AMY2pq4[/video]
(FWIW, I also made a brake pressure bleeder using a Roundup pressure sprayer, but that's for the Jag forum ...)
So, I had a previous DIY manometer, but thought I'd upgrade ... here's mine - couple of photos follow.
Parts:
- 10 foot of 1/4 x 0.170 vinyl tubing (local hardware store)
- 10 foot of 7/8" x 5/8 vinyl tubing (local hardware store)
- 3/4 inch (decreasing OD) rubber plugs x 8 (local hardware store)
- 3/16 inch "F" connectors x 2 ("Dorman" at Oreilly auto parts)
- 3/16 inch restrictors x 4 ("Dorman" at Oreilly auto parts)
- 4 foot x 1 foot shelf (local hardware store) - flat white would be great.
- 2 inch wide clear packaging tape (I used 3M, Walgreens).
- Quart of 80\90 weight gear oil (I used Castrol I have on hand)
- Cut 1/4 OD tubing into 4 x 2 foot lengths.
- Cut 1/4 OD tubing into 4 x 2 1/2 inch lengths.
- Cut 1/4 OD tubing into a single 1 1/8 inch length.
- Cut 7/8 OD tubing into 4 x 2 foot sections.
- Cut shelf to 4 inches wide x 27 inches long
- Drill 3/16" holes in the center of each rubber plug.
- Slide each 2 foot length of 1/4 OD tubing into 4 of the rubber plugs (from the larger OD end) until the end just slightly protrudes past the smaller end.
- Slip on each of the 4 restrictors onto the [other] free end of the 1/4 OD tubing.
- Slide each 2 1/2 inch length of 1/4 OD tubing into the 4 remaining rubber plugs (from the larger OD end) until the end just slightly protrudes past the smaller end.
- Slide the 1 1/8 inch length of 1/4 OD tubing onto the "single finger" of both "F" connectors (you know, the "base" of the letter "F"), effectively connecting them together (you'll have 4 fingers un-connected at this point).
- Lay the 4 sections of 2 foot of 7/8 inch tubing onto the shelf, and with an assistant, wrap 2 inch wide clear packing tape around the tubing and shelving, about every 2 inches.
- ( Be sure that, at the "bottom end" of the shelf\tubing, each tube is even with each other)
- Next, slide each of the 4 rubber plugs that have the 2 1/2 inch length of tubing, at the bottom end, up into the 7/8 inch tubing.
- Grab the 2 "F" connectors that are coupled to each other, and connect each of the four "fingers" into the four 2 1/2 inch sections of vinyl tubing sticking out of the rubbers stoppers just installed.
- Stand up the manometer on the floor and lean against the wall.
- My Castrol gear oil has a decreasing OD snout ... choose any *one* of the single 7/8 tubing, and at the top, insert the gear oil's snout and squirt in some gear oil.
- The level of the oil in each of the four tubes is 5 inches.
- Finally, take each of the 4 remaining rubber plugs (with the 2 foot section 1/4 inch OD hose) and slide onto the top of each of the four 7/8.
- After warming up the bike, and having removed the airbox and such, and removed the "5 way tee"
- Plug each free end of the 4 restrictors into their respective hose (to starter valve). I plug each tube, "left to right" into cylinder 1-4.
In retrospect:
- 2 foot seems a bit "tall" for this manometer, but I discovered when I initially checked the sync, cyl 4 was so far out, the other 3 cyl's sucked it dry and cyl 2 had so much more vacuum, it rose up within 4 inches of the tube's upper length (mostly because I initially used transmission fluid).
- I am going to drain the 80\90 weight gear oil and use 140 weight.
Hooked up to bike and free-standing ...
EDIT: added a video (thought not quite synced):
[video=youtube;aXL2AMY2pq4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXL2AMY2pq4[/video]
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