Thermal Imaging for engine tuning and troubleshooting

[aggressive male]

Ineresting pic. Where I work we have one of those things which you point at something ant it will give you the surface temperature of whatever you point it at. I'm curious about tuning a motor this way too. What kind of engine is this? Is it carbed, throttle body injection or is each cylinder injected? You should have tried to take a picture of the other side about the same time.

Do you have the radiator filled all the way? Maybe there is an air pocket in the front of the motor since they are usually tilted up a little. If your radiator isn't filled all the way maybe that would cause it. I can't remember but I have a book called "how to tune and modify engine management systems" I think it actually does say what a exhaust temperature baseline should be. I'll see if I can find it.

[dipren443]

Ineresting pic. Where I work we have one of those things which you point at something ant it will give you the surface temperature of whatever you point it at.

Spot radiometers are good for reference only. Most of them have a fixed emissivity setting and will only return accurate temperature readings when directed at a dull object with minimal reflectivity. The ones I have seen usually have a fixed emissivity of 0.95, which is indicative of a near perfect emitter (e=1.0). Infrared imagers, like the one the OP is using, can account for changes in emissivity to return accurate temp. readings on even shiny surfaces.

To the OP, what infrared imager are you using to capture your stills and video? I work with both Flir and Indigo systems at my place of work.