Coolant hose diameter

[mars696]

Anybody knows the diameter of the coolant hose, at point before it goes to the engine(near generator)?
I want to fit a water temperature gauge,and i must fit a joint pipe for the sensor!
Is this a good place to install the sensor?
Thanks!

[limax2]

The outlet pipe from the water pump that goes to the outer hose is 21 to 22mm outside diameter.
I think a better place to mount the sensor is at a high point in the cooling system, maybe in one of the hoses that goes to the thermostat housing under the tank. More out of the way there as well.

[Dead Eye]

The issue with doing it high is that if you have an unexpected coolant leak or if the coolant is a little low, then the sensor becomes useless - this is the same flaw that the thermostat has in the circuit for turning the radiator fan on

Better off doing it somewhere low imho

[Punkstig]

Better off not messing with a closed circuit, but I'm a 'stay safe man' like that. 

[limax2]

The issue with doing it high is that if you have an unexpected coolant leak or if the coolant is a little low, then the sensor becomes useless - this is the same flaw that the thermostat has in the circuit for turning the radiator fan on

Better off doing it somewhere low imho

Fair point. I was thinking heat rising and all that so higher would be better. Probably doesn't make much difference in a closed pumped system though.
I have a sensor mounted in the thermostat housing, (on the engine circulation side of the thermostat), and have never seen the temperature go above 90 C. It only gets to 90 C after stopping on a warm day or crawling along in heavy traffic on a hot day. Rest of the time it just stays at close to 80 C.

[mtread]

My fan came on ...... once

[ChristoT]

The issue with doing it high is that if you have an unexpected coolant leak or if the coolant is a little low, then the sensor becomes useless - this is the same flaw that the thermostat has in the circuit for turning the radiator fan on

Better off doing it somewhere low imho

Fair point. I was thinking heat rising and all that so higher would be better. Probably doesn't make much difference in a closed pumped system though.
I have a sensor mounted in the thermostat housing, (on the engine circulation side of the thermostat), and have never seen the temperature go above 90 C. It only gets to 90 C after stopping on a warm day or crawling along in heavy traffic on a hot day. Rest of the time it just stays at close to 80 C.

How about on the bleed nut? There's a tapped hole there already, not far from where you seem to be describing (just behind the genny cover).

[Fazerider]

You could attach a sensor to the cylinder block itself.
Then, if the coolant escapes or the pump fails, you can be sure of getting a reading that indicates there is a problem.

[mars696]

Thanks for the answers guys.
I currently have the sensor at the thermostat housing(replasing the stock sensor) but it does not read temperature properly.
Maybe because the thermostat is close until a certain temperature,i dont know.

[limax2]

The thermostat is supposed to start opening at 80.5 to 83.5 degrees and fully open at 95. If the temperature after it is warmed up is not near 80 it could indicate the thermostat is stuck open. (Assuming water is topped up and the gauge is reading accurate!).
If the sensor was on the radiator side it would read low, and rise when the thermostat opened. This is not where the fan and warning ligh sensor switches are located so you should be getting a correct reading from where you have mounted it. 

[limax2]

Thanks for the answers guys.
I currently have the sensor at the thermostat housing(replasing the stock sensor) but it does not read temperature properly.
Maybe because the thermostat is close until a certain temperature,i dont know.

Although it is not good practice to remove the stock sensor, that is where I mounted the sensor for my gauge. I did take the precaution of wiring in a seperate manual switch so I could flick the fan on if required. I had intended modifying a spare thermostat housing to take both sensors, but since I have never had to put the fan on, (other than to test it), I have not got round to it.
As said earlier mine sits at 80 degrees nearly all the time. It rises about 4 or 5 degrees after stopping due to heat soak from the engine with no water circulation.
The standard fan switch and warning light switches are supposed to kick in at 102 t0 108 degrees.
Below is a photo of where I mounted the gauge and manual switch from a bracket picking up the mirror mounting studs. Ignore the tube bracket above the clocks, that's for my satnav.

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