> for several days I've left my temperature gauge from my TR3 on the stove top
> and submerged in water on a burner along with a cooking thermometer.
> Doesn't water boil at 213 degrees F (the tiny bubbles jump to the water's
> surface)?
Tiny bubbles mean it's not really boiling yet. You want to measure at a "full
rolling boil" meaning large bubbles churning the water. The nominal Fahrenheit
number is 212, but it is affected by the purity of the water (tap water has lots
of contaminants that can raise the BP or possibly lower it), and by the
altitude/atmospheric pressure.
> Thankfully, the gauge wakes up from 185 to 208 (this last number arrived at
> with the aid of a highly scientific interpolation formula<g>.) I am not
> sure I can totally trust the 'ole 60 TR3 gauge to be accurate
LOL ! "Accurate" is not an adjective one usually applies to a 50 year old
Bourdon tube movement.
> My question is this: what one number, between say 185 and
> 215, should I try to get the gauge accurate for?
IMO, none of them. Instead, just install it in the car, and observe it as you
drive. With only a little experience, you should be able to see where, on your
gauge, the thermostat opens and how it normally behaves. If it rises much above
where the Tstat opens, you have an incipient problem (except of course when it
normally rises, like stopping after a high speed run). And the steam out of the
hood vents will let you know you've got an immediate problem !
> This way, when I'm 'goin
> down the road' (if I ever get it runnin), and it creeps above, say 201 (for
> example), i'll know somethings up.
Keep in mind that the actual boiling point of your coolant will be higher than
212F, both due to the pressure cap and to the antifreeze in the coolant.
Randall
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