How do I make my manometer?

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realgone

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I ran a quick search on how to make a manometer for carb syncing, no real luck.

Yes, I am a caveman.
I need a how to with detailed pictures to make sure I do it right.
Anyone know where to find one?

Thanks.
 
realgone said:
I ran a quick search on how to make a manometer for carb syncing, no real luck.

Yes, I am a caveman.
I need a how to with detailed pictures to make sure I do it right.
Anyone know where to find one?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

From the "Tech" section................Homemade Tools

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37

Buy 22 feet of 3/16" ID, 5/16" OD clear plastic tubing (Rona has it). Attach to a board and add a small amount of any liquid you like..............I used "Stabil" because that was what I had handy. Very simple and very accurate.
 
Lots of people use ATF or 50WT engine oil. A little heavier medium helps stabilize it, and it's always a good idea to use a fluid the bike can digest without any issues. Big smoke show when you kick a line off by accident at idle and don't catch it. Big 'ol slurpy straw!
 
10 ft. of 3/16" clear
plastic tubing, a few ounces of automatic transmission fluid (some folks prefer 2-stroke
oil), and a pair of pilot jets (the long-pattern jets for Mikuni flat slide carbs, sizes 15 to 35, work nicely).
Loop the hose around the bottom of the yardstick and secure it with wire or twist ties so
that it runs straight up both sides; avoid pinching. Trim the ends to the same length, and
cut an 8" piece from each end. Suck ATF into the line so that it fills the tubing about 8"
high on each side. Splice the end pieces back on with the pilot jets.
 
My problem is not that I don't have one, it's that I ran out of mercury. Oh... why? Uhmm... I hooked it up wrong and my Triumph sucked all the mercury through the engine! :yikes: :doh: It sent a nice cloud of toxic vapor wafting through my neighborhood. I'm just glad I wasn't in my shop - I'd still be haz-matting the place.
 
You can buy mercury, but they want as much for the mercury now as you used to be able to buy the whole kit for. They have a "replacement" squirrel friendly fluid that has similar body to it. Probably liquid unobtainium.
 
i made a yard stick one, and used atf, I dont have reducers to stabilize the pulses, but the atf, as some one stated, is thick enuf to not bounce too much.
I borrowed a friends merc stic and accidently dropped it. now i gotta buy a four tube to replace it. Glad this yard stick one is practicaly free. I already had atf, and a yard stick, 5 bucks for 20 feet of clear tubing, and i was on my way.
I was suprised by how close my bench sync was. guesse my 'eye-crometers' were up to par.
 
Mister Mellow said:
My problem is not that I don't have one, it's that I ran out of mercury. Oh... why? Uhmm... I hooked it up wrong and my Triumph sucked all the mercury through the engine! :yikes: :doh: It sent a nice cloud of toxic vapor wafting through my neighborhood. I'm just glad I wasn't in my shop - I'd still be haz-matting the place.
Click to expand...

HAHA! man.. sure sounds like it woulda been a massive shit show... a bit scary aswell.
 
I can't believe that in this day and age, people are still talking about mercury manometers. C'mon lads, you don't want any mercury around your home or your family, as it can cause many serious health problems.

Unfortunately, if you eat a lot of tuna or live downwind of a coal fired power plant, you are still receiving some amount of mercury.
 
That carbtune is an awesome rig. 98 bucks is a steal of a deal, if you can get one over here around that price. I have never used one personally, but had a customer that raced SCCA and had a twin quad setup being tuned one day when I was visiting, and the carbtune is what they were using. Bad Ass rig.
 
Thanks for the info, fellas.
Got it done today, seems to work well.
A quick question- does it just need to be even when the bike is idling? When I would rev the bike one side would be an inch or two higher than the other, and I couldn't get them equal.

I had an old coat rack in the garage. I ziptied the hose to the coat rack and still had a few hooks free to attach the test tank I was using.
 
I can't fill the tubing with oil without it ending up in segments with air in between them. been trying for 2 hour's, very frustrated! using 2cycle oil. :wtf:
 
I got it working good with water and food coloring. I think the oil was to thick for 1/4" tubing. carbs ended up at same settings I had them tuned by dead cylinder method. Guess I should have just called it good then. :doh:
 
You only use the manometer at idle. At higher rpms the vacuum drops and the readings are worthless.
Leo
 
I couldn't tell you the last time I actually measured anything with a yard stick. The thing get way more use now than it probably ever did as a measuring tool. I have mine filled with 2 cycle oil. Works like a charm. My neighbor walked over to see what I was using one day and shook his head in disappointment because he had just dropped a few bucks on gauges to do the same thing. We used both my manometer and his gauges on both his and my bike and both were spot on.
 

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