$$ Lesson for IR thermometer Use!

Just got an email from a friend in NY who gave me the long version of his experience doing some temp checks on his two engines with his new IR gun a couple weeks ago that he wanted to tell me about. The short version is that he spent over $1.5k to sort out eng temp "problems" that he identified with his IR gun. Great huh? Well, not exactly...

Basically he was shooting all the thermostat housings just as a "check it out" kind of thing - no evidence of any problems. He does NOT have mechanical temp gauges. He found that one engine was indicating 12 degrees hotter than the other on the therm housing. Glad that he had discovered this "problem," he had the Tstats changed on the hotter engine - no difference. Then he had the ICoolers and HE cleaned out on the hotter engine - no difference. Then he had a tune up on the hotter engine - no difference.

At wit's end (as he related) he talked to the ONE really good mechanic at the marina - the one he should have talked to in the first place. The Mech went on board and checked the temps during a run, said they were within 2 degrees. When they got back to the dock he asked Bill to check the temps while he (mechanic) watched. Bill came up with a 13 degree difference...and couldn't figure out two things - why the difference and why the mechanic was laughing so hard.

Turned out that Bill had been shooting one engine tstat housing from about 3 INCHES and the other from nearly 3 FEET. He thought that the little laser pointer showed the area that the heat sensor measured. Now he knows better...

I have to admit that Bill took this $1.5k lesson rather well and, as he told me, it's not something he'll ever forget! One thing he did say was, "If I had never bought that danged IR gun, I'd still have that thousand bucks in my pocket." But he understands now how to consistently measure temps!

Just goes to show you that any tool, regardless how good it is (and IR guns are excellent tools), it's only as good as the operator's ability to understand and use it!

absolutely... when i use mine i always shoot from different angles and distances and take that into account.

well at least his cooling system is top shape now...

most of them have a picture of the target size on the side of the gun. at least he did stuff taht can be considered preventive maintainence.