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How to: DIY Manometer


Guest ChicagoAJ

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Guest ChicagoAJ

I couldn't find one of these on this site so I figured I would throw up the pictures of the one that I made. The parts list below is not what is absolutely necessary to build this with, these are just the items that I bought and the quantity they came in. You can fine tune your manometer however you wish, I'm just posting this as a general guide/overview. 
 
 
Material List:
 
1) 10 feet of 1/4 inch inside diameter (ID) plastic tubing
2) 20 feet of 1/8 inch inside diameter (ID) plastic tubing
3) A bunch of zip ties/tie wraps (I picked up a 100 pack at Harbor Freight for 1.99)
4) 1/4 ID to 1/8 ID barbed reducers (x2)
5) 1/8 ID barbed T fitting 
6) 48 inch metal shelving bracket
7) Automatic transmission fluid
 
 
 
Getting started:
 
First you'll want to figure out what you want to mount your larger 1/4 inch ID tubing to. I opted for a shelving rack that was painted white for good contrast against the red automatic transmission fluid. It also came with many holes and slots already in it so this gave the zip ties a place to hold the tubing and I didn't have to get out a drill. You could use a piece of wood or something similar as long as you can mount the tubing. After you finish this step, it should resemble the picture below. This was before I trimmed the 1/4 inch ID tubing so it's hanging over the top. 
 
 
5u4rur.jpg
 
 
Next step:
 
I opted to use brass barbed reducers instead of just jamming the tubes into each other and hoping they wouldn't leak or come out. If one side of the tubing comes out and you're in the middle of adjusting the throttle bodies, your bike will suck up the transmission fluid right out of the manometer. Now that we have the larger 1/4 inch ID tubing mounted, we can trim the top flush with the mount and add our transmission fluid. The amount of fluid you want to add is up to you, I left about a 24 inch gap between the top of the tubing and the transmission fluid. Once you put the transmission fluid in, go ahead and add the barbed reducers to each side of 1/4 inch ID tubing at the top of the mount. Use the picture below for reference. 
 
 
313io35.jpg
 
 
Next step:
 
Now that we have the transmission fluid and reducers in, we can add the smaller 1/8 inch ID tubing to the top of the reducers that were just installed. The length of the tubing is completely up to you but the longer it is the more room you'll have to work. I left about 8 feet on both sides, overkill probably. But it's better to have more length than less, especially if you need to move the manometer while you're working. The next picture is the completed manometer and there's only one more step after this. I either plan to mount this on a wall or get some shelving braces and make a big plus sign for a stand and just bolt it together. Still not sure.  
 
 
2dayc8i.jpg
 
 
Last step:
 
On the left side of the bike (when you're sitting on it) there is a vacuum line that hooks up to the throttle body. This will be need to be run in line with the manometer while you're doing the throttle body adjustment or you will not get an accurate reading from your manometer and your bike may throw a check engine light or have trouble running. The picture below is a shot of the 1/8 inch ID barbed T fitting. Connect one side of the T fitting to your left manometer 1/8 inch ID tubing. Leave the middle of the T fitting open for the vacuum line on the bike you'll connect when syncing the throttle bodies, and give yourself about a foot of 1/8 inch ID tubing on the bottom of the T fitting to connect to the left throttle body. You can see a picture for reference below. 
 
 
2cehish.jpg
 
 
Congratulations, you're done! Now that your manometer is done, feel free to check out this thread created by @v8titanpwr . This thread will walk you through the entire process of how to use the manometer you just built! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. 

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks for the post! I appreciate this because I'm planning on making my own, and this is the most well-thought-out instruction by far!
 
quick question though. I read somewhere (i can't remember where) saying that the distance from the center/bottom of the manometer has to be equal distances to the end, where it plugs into the throttle body. i noticed on your last step you have the T fitting on one end of the tube. is it measured where the distance is the same? or does that even matter?
 
also, just to clarify, the middle connection of the T fitting is for the vacuum line from the throttle body? as in, there is a vacuum line connect to the throttle body and ill have to pull it out from there and connect it to this?

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sansnombre

Nice job. I had one of these quite a few years ago for my GPz - back then we used mercury!!
 
Thanks.

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Guest ChicagoAJ
Thanks for the post! I appreciate this because I'm planning on making my own, and this is the most well-thought-out instruction by far! 
quick question though. I read somewhere (i can't remember where) saying that the distance from the center/bottom of the manometer has to be equal distances to the end, where it plugs into the throttle body. i noticed on your last step you have the T fitting on one end of the tube. is it measured where the distance is the same? or does that even matter?
 
also, just to clarify, the middle connection of the T fitting is for the vacuum line from the throttle body? as in, there is a vacuum line connect to the throttle body and ill have to pull it out from there and connect it to this?
I wouldn't see the length as a problem because you have to run another vacuum line on the left side in parallel anyways, maybe if one side was 100 feet and the other side was 10 feet, haha. I don't think the measurements need to be super, super precise. I saw someone on here calculated it out and in order for the throttle bodies to be "synced" within spec any measurement on a homemade manometer with auto trans fluid, the levels on each side just had to be within like 6-8 inches of each other. Getting them within an inch is easy, after that it jumps around and changes as the temperature of the engine rises. When you're that close, we're talking turning the screw maybe 1/20th of a turn and it'll change the levels on the manometer by a half inch, so it's tough to dial in perfectly. A "close enough" works just fine here (in my opinion).  
The clutch lever side throttle body has a vacuum line hooked up to it, so that tube must be run to the middle of the T fitting, if you don't hook this up when trying to sync up the throttle bodies you might get an error or check engine light on the cluster and a not so accurate sync job. The brake lever side throttle body just has a rubber boot, hence no T fitting on that side.
 
 
Make sure you only adjust the brake lever side pilot screw/throttle body. The clutch side throttle body is set from the factory and that should never need to be adjusted. That side is what you're syncing the other side to when doing the sync.

 
I put it out of sync about 3 inches and took the bike for a ride to see what a little bit out of spec would feel like and I couldn't tell a difference. So I just synced it back up within maybe a 1/4 of an inch and called it a day. It would really have to be out of sync to notice something while riding and your bike would likely be stalling all the time if that were the case. The T fitting and extra tubing maybe added 8-10 inches in length when comparing it to the other side. If you want to get real precise you could use a small inside diameter tubing and a thinner fluid like two stroke oil to really dial them in, but good luck getting it to settle and not bounce around when trying to sync them up.
 
Hope that answers everything!
 
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Thanks for the post! I appreciate this because I'm planning on making my own, and this is the most well-thought-out instruction by far! 
quick question though. I read somewhere (i can't remember where) saying that the distance from the center/bottom of the manometer has to be equal distances to the end, where it plugs into the throttle body. i noticed on your last step you have the T fitting on one end of the tube. is it measured where the distance is the same? or does that even matter?
 
also, just to clarify, the middle connection of the T fitting is for the vacuum line from the throttle body? as in, there is a vacuum line connect to the throttle body and ill have to pull it out from there and connect it to this?
Technically the pressures would be nearly equal as long as there isnt a difference of several feet between one side and the other
 

ATGATT... ATTATT, two acronyms I live by.
 

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Guest ChicagoAJ
Thanks for the post! I appreciate this because I'm planning on making my own, and this is the most well-thought-out instruction by far! 
quick question though. I read somewhere (i can't remember where) saying that the distance from the center/bottom of the manometer has to be equal distances to the end, where it plugs into the throttle body. i noticed on your last step you have the T fitting on one end of the tube. is it measured where the distance is the same? or does that even matter?
 
also, just to clarify, the middle connection of the T fitting is for the vacuum line from the throttle body? as in, there is a vacuum line connect to the throttle body and ill have to pull it out from there and connect it to this?
Technically the pressures would be nearly equal as long as there isnt a difference of several feet between one side and the other
Exactly what I was thinking. I would think that even with a big difference in length for the sides it shouldn't matter as long as the vacuum isn't strong enough to semi-collapse the tubing (which is where the length would come in to play as the longer side would have more area/air to use before picking up a vacuum reading... But what do I know, I'm not physicist. Lol 
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Technically the pressures would be nearly equal as long as there isnt a difference of several feet between one side and the other
Exactly what I was thinking. I would think that even with a big difference in length for the sides it shouldn't matter as long as the vacuum isn't strong enough to semi-collapse the tubing (which is where the length would come in to play as the longer side would have more area/air to use before picking up a vacuum reading... But what do I know, I'm not physicist. Lol 
Wheres @phyiocc when ya need him for the physics questions

ATGATT... ATTATT, two acronyms I live by.
 

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  • 3 months later...
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I have to do this soon. Keep putting it off... It's on my list. I'm going to build it like yours @ChicagoAJ. I appreciate the write up!

:: '15 Pearl White FZ-07 - OES Frame/Fork/Swingarm Sliders - Motodynamic LED Tail - Yoshimura Fender Eliminator - RIDEIT Levers - Yoshimura R-77 Carbon Exhaust - Seat Concepts - Evotech Radiator Guard & Pillion Kit - TechSpec Grip - Cyclops H4 LED - LED Turn Signals - Progrip 699s - R6 Throttle Tube - K&N Filters - SM M1 Handlebars - EPFA Pads - Gilles Rearsets - 2WDW ECU Flash - CRG Arrows - Forks By Matt Cartridges - K-tech Razor-R Shock - GoCruise Throttle Lock::

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Guest ChicagoAJ
I have to do this soon. Keep putting it off... It's on my list. I'm going to build it like yours @chicagoaj . I appreciate the write up!
Trans fluid at Wal-Mart for like 3.xx for the quart! The brass reducers I got on eBay from a model airplane seller, kinda pricey but way more reliable than the automotive plastic ones that like to snap if you look at them funny. The tubing I also got on eBay because every hardware store I went to was out of both sizes. I think overall it cost me about 30-40 bucks to make. Can probably buy a real one for less than that, haha.  
Tip: If you save the tubing you didn't use after cutting it to length, it doubles as a brake bleeder line if you make one end go into a plastic water bottle. 
 
Here's the eBay seller with the brass hardware:
 
http://www.ebay.com/usr/upe_group
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  • 5 months later...

Is it possible for the bike to suck the ATF up in the TB during this? I'm going to attempt this as soon as it warms up outside, but I'm paranoid my bike will drink the kool-aid.

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  • 1 year later...
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I know this is an old post.... I made one of these today, and hope to try it out ASAP!!!!! I would advise anyone that wants to make one of these, to source the parts online.... I drove around to half-a-dozen hardware stores today. That killed over two hours of my day 🙄. I try to "shop local", when I can,  but after this experience, I may have to let that go 😞-

""W.O.T. until you see god, then brake"

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7 hours ago, cornerslider said:

I know this is an old post.... I made one of these today, and hope to try it out ASAP!!!!! I would advise anyone that wants to make one of these, to source the parts online.... I drove around to half-a-dozen hardware stores today. That killed over two hours of my day <img src=">. I try to "shop local", when I can,  but after this experience, I may have to let that go <img src=">-

Hardware stores are good and all, but in this case a plumbing supply shop is where I'll be purchasing my device

Gonna get fancy and over engineer everything but I'll post a write-up and a link in here when I do

ATGATT... ATTATT, two acronyms I live by.
 

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I custom built this for 80 bucks.

manometer.jpg

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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I did the TB sync yesterday.... The home made gauge worked flawlessly 😀. My only suggestion would be to hook-up the manometer to the TB's BEFORE removing the tank. This saved me a lot of work.... My TB's were spot-on from the factory 👍. When the bike was cold, I had about a 5 inch variance. After the motor was up to temperature, they were perfect. They remained sync'ed at idle, as well as at higher rpm. 

""W.O.T. until you see god, then brake"

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23 hours ago, r1limited said:

I custom built this for 80 bucks.

manometer.jpg

I too custom built that model years back but I can't say I'm very impressed with it.  The damn liquid likes to separate with pockets of air in the tubes making it hard to line them up during use and it's a serious PITA to remove the air and condense the liquid again. 

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9 hours ago, RojoRacing said:

I too custom built that model years back but I can't say I'm very impressed with it.  The damn liquid likes to separate with pockets of air in the tubes making it hard to line them up during use and it's a serious PITA to remove the air and condense the liquid again. 

I have never had a failure, using them correctly I assume you used and stored it correctly re-calibrating each time as well.  Personally never had any issue with them, and I live in the PNW it is cold, wet, damp, icky poopy cacka weather

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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