Is there such a thing as a high temperature and electrically conductive bonding product?

[CLB]

I'm looking to bond a temperature sender into a suitable blank hole on an aluminium engine block. The product, I'm thinking JB weld, araldite, liquid metal etc etc, needs to be able to withstand a service tempreture of up to 100C but also be electrically conductive so that the sender can still earth itself on the block.

Products like JB Weld High Heat cover the temperature requirements, but there is no mention of its conductivity.

The hole is slightly larger than the temp sender, so tapping a thread is not possible. In all other respects, the hole is perfect, located next to the engines own tempreture probe (this goes into the computer module for electronic monitoring and diagnostics, so no use as a feed for a helm temperature display, which is what I want to achieve)

Anyone got any ideas for a suitable product, or a different approach. A sender with a larger thread is, of course, one possibility.

 

[Skipper_Christoph]

Maybe a Helicoil insert could help?

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

Maybe a Helicoil insert could help?

That or drill (and tap if the sender is threaded) a suitable screw.

 

[lw395]

There are plenty of conductive epoxies around, but usually amusingly expensive.
I used to get silver loaded epoxy from work when it reached its use by date.
Two dinky little tubes cost about 40 quid IIRC.
But it was very effective.

Maybe earth the sender via a crimp eye or something?

 

[Rum Run]

I'm looking to bond a temperature sender into a suitable blank hole on an aluminium engine block. The product, I'm thinking JB weld, araldite, liquid metal etc etc, needs to be able to withstand a service tempreture of up to 100C but also be electrically conductive so that the sender can still earth itself on the block.

Products like JB Weld High Heat cover the temperature requirements, but there is no mention of its conductivity.

The hole is slightly larger than the temp sender, so tapping a thread is not possible. In all other respects, the hole is perfect, located next to the engines own tempreture probe (this goes into the computer module for electronic monitoring and diagnostics, so no use as a feed for a helm temperature display, which is what I want to achieve)

Anyone got any ideas for a suitable product, or a different approach. A sender with a larger thread is, of course, one possibility.

If you can define the thread on the sender and the diameter of the hole in the block it would be possible to get someone to make a bush.
You would need to tap the block of course but gluing things in seems not very seamanlike to me

 

[Stemar]

+1 for tapping a thread into the ally. The bonding product may not degrade at 100 C, but will the bond cope with the expansion of the metal and the vibration of the engine? The last thing you want is for it to work loose.

 

[Catalina36]

All this talk of drilling and tapping holes in a cast aluminium block makes me nervous. I can just imagine the sphincter-tighening sensation of hearing that little tiny "tink" as it cracks and the slow awful dawning of realisation that there's no way back.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Silver loaded epoxy was my thought too - like lw395 I used to use it at work. However, I share Rum Run's caution - gluing the thing in is a rather one-shot deal. Do any of the copper-loaded thermal greases for heat sinks also conduct electrically?

 

[vyv_cox]

I used to mount specimens that were going into the SEM, that requires conductivity to avoid charging in the electron beam, in conducting bakelite. This was very similar to the non-conducting stuff but had powdered graphite added to it. Might be worth a simple experiment?

 

[penberth3]

If you can define the thread on the sender and the diameter of the hole in the block it would be possible to get someone to make a bush.
You would need to tap the block of course but gluing things in seems not very seamanlike to me

Yes, the sender is going to fail one day.

 

[CLB]

Thanks all. I'll investigate the helicoil option. Just need to work out the thread size of the sender. I suspect t is also tapered, so don't know if that will make a difference.