I am thinking about tapping into a cooloant hose that runs from the upper right side of my Banshee's radiator to the top of the engine head. It's not the overflow tube since that is located on the radiator's top left side, just next to the radiator cap.

What does this hose serve? Does coolant continually flow through it to give me an accuate temperature reading?

What size is this hose, 1/4" or 3/8"?

Thanks!

 

That tube keeps an air bubble from forming at the top of the head. If the tube wasn't there, when you drained the system there would be air trapped there that may not come out causing the top end to be uncooled.

 

Does coolant circulate through it?

Would this be a good spot to mount my thermometer?

 

Better stick with the main coolant outlet hose; don't think that little hose will get the job done.

 

According to the shop manual I have for the RZ350 the coolant does flow thru the little tube but it may not provide enough flow to really work that well. According to the same manual the coolant flows from the back of the head toward the front and then to the top of the radiator. the little hose kind of bypasses that to get the air out. Ideally your highest temps would be read at the head coming out the front of the engine. The water is coolest where the bypass tube is since it comes in there and then goes down around the cylinder and then up the front and out.
I was going to use a mechanical gauge I got from JC whitney for $10 that takes a regular pipe thread for the probe but I bought an RZ engine instead and they already have a thermostat and a stock temp gauge setup.

 

Could you advise what part number in JC Whitney you are referring to? I have one of their catalogs and would be interested in looking at it to see if it will do what I need.

Also, I was thinking about taking one of the Meat type thermometers that have the 4" probe on the back. I would solder some insulated coax (maybe television cable coax?) to the end of the proble and then put some type of connector on the other end and attach that to a head nut or another place on the engine or jugs.

Do you think this would work as well as splicing into the coolant hose line?

Thanks,

 

I will try to email a pic of the one I bought. In the older catalog I have the item number is... 88XJ7415Y

 

Send me an email so I can get you the pics I took of the gauge and the coolant flow diagram from the shop manual.
runnvs1@peoplepc.com

 

I know that the old Artic Cat snowmobiles had temp guages on them one for each cylinder. I believe they worked something like this, it has been a while since I had it. The temp guage had a long wire coming out of the back. The wire had an "O" ring or flat washer (a really thin washer) on it that connected to the top of the head at the spark plug. The plug bolted through the ring and held it to the head. As the head would heat up it would registed to the guage. I think there was also a second wire that came of the guage that went to the battery because it was back lit for nite riding. Check a snowmobile catalog. You'll probably find what your looking for.