Dan Kramarsky <dkramarsky68@yahoo.com> wrote:
: Jon,
: I thought I would take a few moments and measure my schrader valve and this is what I
: measured with my set of calipers:
: Major thread dia: 0.438"
: Minor thread dia: 0.382" (could be off by 0.002" on this one)
: Pitch: 20 TPI
: This would make it very close to 7/16-20 UNF thread. So is my valve a different size
: than yours?
After I read your post, I was quite confused. Then I had the brilliant
idea that Chrysler must have changed the test port, perhaps at the same time
as OBD-II. Grumbling under my breath about automotive engineers, I went outside
and checked the test port on my '99 Cherokee. It was the same as what you
describe above; the GM style 7/16-20 / -4AN type. Then I popped the hood
on my '92 Ram. Same thing. '01 PT Cruiser - same thing. I then went back
inside, grabbed some wrenches, and pulled the sender off the fuel rail on
my '96 Dak... Same thing. @*(^#%*#@#!!!
Sooo... All this time when I was absolutely convinced that the fuel
test port on my Dak was the same as a tire valve stem I was completely wrong.
Everybody point towards Forestville, NY and sing:
http://www.ilovewavs.com/ForChat/Insults/URIdiot.wav
:-P
So basically all of the confusion was of my own making because
I was absolutely certain of something which was completely wrong. :-(
My apologies for that.
On the plus side, this means it should be a lot easier to find
the parts you need. :-) You can either get one of the gauges
intended for TPI Chevys that Ray mentioned, or if you end up with
a gauge which doesn't come with the proper adapter, you will need
to buy a few more parts to do it.
Basically the way my gauge is set up, there is a swivel elbow
adapter on the Schrader valve, and the electric sender is threaded
into that. Summit sells something like this, part number
EAR-923104ERL (http://tinyurl.com/bmqcs). Unfortunately, the price
is a *wee* bit steep at $24! You can probably get the same thing
a lot cheaper at an industrial supply outlet, what you would want
is an elbow with 1/4 female JIC threads on one end and 1/8 NPT
female threads on the other (assuming that the gauge you get is
1/8 NPT of course). Or, another alternative to do the same thing
would be to get a straight 4AN to NPT adapter and just put an NPT
elbow on the top. A 4AN to 1/8 NPT straight adapter at Summit
is $7 (EAR-916104ERL), and a brass NPT elbow can be obtained
at most any hardware store for a couple of bucks or less.
Another possibility is to mount something remotely, either an
electric sender or a mechanical gauge mounted under the hood.
During my research into this subject, I came across a discussion on
a Shelby Dodge site where some folks were saying it might not be
a good idea to mount a guage right on the fuel rail since the
test port fittings weren't designed for constant use like that and
the vibraion might break something. A lot of people do it that
way and I'm not aware of any problems resulting from it, but its
a point to consider. Anyway, as far as remote mounting goes, you
could use a 4AN elbow hose end, the appropriate length of 4AN braided
stainless hose, and a straight 4AN hose end on the other side with
an adapter threaded into the gauge. This method isn't going to be
cheap since the elbow fitting would probably be about $15, around $5
for the straight fitting, and the hose itself would be $15-30 for 3-6
feet. A cheaper version of this would use the $7 straight
adapter with a $2 NPT elbow on the top and a couple of $1-2 NPT
to hose barb adapters and a section of rubber hose. This way
you eliminate the expensive AN parts and the braided stainless hose,
using barbs and hose clamps instead. If you go that route though,
its critical that you get fuel injection rated hose, the standard
fuel line won't cut it. Your local auto parts store will have the
hose; its a lot more expensive than the standard fuel hose
unfortunately (its more expensive than braided stainless, ironically),
but since you don't need the AN fittings, it will end up being cheaper
overall. (Last time I bought EFI hose it it was $5.50 per foot - crazy.)
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger --- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| 67 Dodge Coronet, 70 Plymouth Barracuda, 76 Peugeot TSA |
| 78 Dodge B100, 90 Dodge Dakota Convertible, 92 Dodge Ram 4x4 |
| 96 Dodge Dakota, 96 Suzuki Intruder 1400, 96 Kolb FireFly |
| 99 Jeep Cherokee 4x4, 2001 Dodge Ram 3500 CTD |
`--------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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