"How To" - Repairing a broken Temperature Gauge Capilary Tube/Line
Here's an interesting "do it yourself" article on how to fix a broken temperature gauge capilary tube/line. Although the article was written for a Chrysler product, the theory should apply to any mechanical temperature gauge including the 190SL. Since my gauge is broken where the line goes into the capilary, I'm going to give this a shot. Of course, the 190SL didn't come with a protective spiral covering, so I won't be using this part. And since Mechanical Temperature Gauges can be had at your local auto parts store for around $10.00, if this works, it'll be well worth the price.
I fixed mine in a similar manner but waited until all repairs were made before injecting ether. The ether was introduced through a small hole in the bottom of the bulb after the solder was removed. Quanitity I don't believe is critical - I went for half full and used dry ice to slow evaporation. Fabricate a short brass wedge or spike similar to a sewing needle for the initial seal, then quickly apply a solder blob to the pre-tinned surface.
Ed, even as anesthesiologist here in CA I don't have any ready access to ether. Because of its flammability and abuse potential, it is restricted in availabilty. It is probably only available through a lab supply company to a legitimate source. When I did my research work years ago, we had all sorts of it around and I used it all the time to anesthetize rats before I transplanted them. However, we always did this under a special ventilation hood because it vaporizes quickly and the fire risk. Had I known I could have used it now for auto repair, I would have kept a few cans around!!! Makes me wonder if the much safer vapors we use today would work instead, but that would take some calculations and trials. Might want to check animal or veterinarian supply places-for some odd reason they seem to be able to just about any drug/agent for animals that we can't get for humans!!!