Nasco Mileage Tester

[RichFC]

Gday Folks,
               Trying to find some info on my Mileage tester !
               Would love to have some paperwork and/or additional info to accompany it in my collection.
               Came up with zero on google
               Any info/pictures/specs etc would be most welcome and much appreciated!
               Thank you very much.       

[RichFC]

This is all i can find so far and im not sure if this one is Nasco or not ?

[Professor Grey]

I have a misty memory of my boss having something very like that in the 60's.
He would use it to test mpg before and after a tune-up or rebuild.
It was connected between the pipe from the tank and the fuel pump I think.
You would switch the fuel off with fuel at the top mark, note the miles, then drive until fuel in the little glass bowl reached the bottom mark.
Some calculation then gave you an economy figure.
Apprentices were NEVER allowed to operate it, so the details are a bit fuzzy.
It was only used for testing, and not for driving around in general.
Hope this helps a bit.
Prof.

[RichFC]

Professor,
              You have a great memory !!
              I believe your explanation/memory is pretty accurate!
              I think i may have found someone who may have an original Nasco leaflet/fact-sheet on the tester and i'm hoping to at least get a copy
              that i can share with the forum members if they are interested.
              By the looks of things they appear to be rather rare !
              Thanks again Professor, i appreciate your thoughts/recollections !
              I'll keep you posted on the fact-sheet !

[Harv]

I think i may have found someone who may have an original Nasco leaflet/fact-sheet on the tester and i'm hoping to at least get a copy that i can share with the forum members if they are interested.

I'm interested  That mileage tester is cool, and the way is works sounds interesting.

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

Managed to talk to Dad today. He was a mechanic and then service manager at a number of dealers in the Sydney area in the 60's and 70's. Cut his teeth on the factory servicing of EJ/EH's, whilst FE/FC/FB/EK/EJs were still returning for service.

He remembers using the mileage tester through both the 60's and 70's, though not for every tune-up. They were only used when a customer came with a complaint about poor mileage, and were used to verify that the car (either pre- or post-repair) was returning appropriate fuel consumption.

The process that Professor outlined is correct - the unit is connected between the carb and fuel pump, the rubber hoses run through a partially opened bonnet, and the test unit placed inside the car. The units had a clip on them that allowed them to be clipped onto the window, and then the window wound up (similar to a drive-in speaker). The car would be started and driven off, drawing fuel through the tester. When the "test track" was reached, the inlet valve was isolated, letting the carb draw only from the test unit (Dad had several "test tracks" through suburban western Sydney  ). The starting odometer reading was taken. Once the unit was empty, the odometer was again noted, and the inlet valve opened (letting the car draw from the fuel pump). The car was driven back to the dealership, and the fuel mileage calculated.

Cheers,
Harv (appreciator of old Holden tools).

[RichFC]

Harv,
Couldn't have asked for a better explanation !!!! Thats Gold! Thank you !
Now,If i could just get a copy of that elusive fact sheet !!!!!!!!
Evidently there is a " write up " on the unit in one of the early "Accelerator" magazines !
Now which one ??......................
Thanks again Harv, I'll keep you posted on my findings! 

[geebeefc]

Hi, Can confirm that these were used as described. I used one often when working at GMH dealership early 70's. As stated it was mainly used to confirm or disprove customer queries regarding fuel use on Holdens and Toranas mainly. Also used occasionally on petrol powered trucks. Being a country dealership one would set it up on the vehicle in the workshop, then drive to the open highway before starting the testing. Area of highway chosen was usually as flat as could be found, and driven with a very light right foot!!  Amount held in the bottle was one tenth of a gallon if memory serves me, and the trip meter on the speedo was  set to zero, tap opened and driven till fuel in bottle was used. mileage on trip meter then read and multiplied by 10 to give distance per gallon. Ahh, the good old days! Glenn

[Harv]

Yep, the old boy reckoned it was 1/10 of a gallon too.

Cheers,
Harv

[philwreck]

Seems you have all the information you need. 
Thought there might be some interest in the Zenith Mileage Tester I have.
It has the useage instructions on the face as per the photos.
Phil

[ardiesse]

Gentlemen,

I have to ask this: Philwreck's Zenith tester is made in Chicago, and the Nasco mileage tester is surely an American product, and the capacity is one tenth of a gallon . . .

Which kind of gallon?  Probably the US gallon, the little (3.7 litre) one rather than our 4.54 litre gallon.

Phil: Is your unit in a state where you could measure its capacity?

(thinks: one gallon is eight pints.  The US pint is 16 fluid ounces, but the Imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces. So a US gallon is 128 fluid ounces, and an Imperial gallon is 160 fluid ounces.  I remember that back in the dim dark days a Coke can held 13 fluid ounces (373 ml), which was then metrified into 370 ml.  If the US fluid ounce and the avoirdupois fluid ounce are the same volume, then an Australian Coke can is as near as dammit to a tenth of a US gallon.  If we need any reminding why we adopted bloody Napoleonic units of measurement, this is the reason . . .)

From the empty mark, Phil's Zenith tester should fill to capacity with a Coke can full of water.

As for the Nasco unit - maybe, Richard, you could see what volume it holds.

Sorry to confuse matters.

Rob