Oil Pressure Gauge Line Help Needed

[JohnG]

hi!
I have a Sunpro oil pressure gauge mounted under my dash. I have a T fitting on the oil filter adapter. My question is on the line from the T fitting to the gauge. (this is a 352 so the oil filter set up is on the lower left front of the motor).

What came with the gauge was little white plastic tubing. Flimsy stuff which I dont want to trust. On the other hand I have 1/8" copper tubing which I could probably adapt but which worries me as being brittle. The motor vibrates and moves around a little so that is not ideal either.

Has anyone done anything in this area they like?? Some kind of flexible, braided line comes to mind as optimal.

The irony is, you have a gauge so you can monitor the pressure which in turn might go to **** on you due to the line attached to the gauge!!

Any ideas appreciated!

john

[Anders]

Perhaps make a bracket that hold a plastic clip ( similar idea as for the spark plug wires on the valve covers ) that you can snap on the fuel-line, so it sits still without wearing out.

[Guest]

I have used the plastic line that came with the oil gauge that I have on another car it has worked good for 3 years.
Bob M

[Petrolhead]

Hi

The plastic line is fine as long as it's kept away from heat and/or hot engine components.

On my hot rod it was hard to route the plastic line away from hot parts so I made up copper line and used the same kind of olives and nuts as the plastic line to attach it. I looped the copper line into a couple of 'circles' where it came out of the fitting in the block to absorb vibration. Never leaked, and that fine copper line is quite flexible and unlikely to crack. Your call as to what you feel most comfortable with.

[scumdog]

I have used plastic oil-guage lines for years on several vehicle, in fact the one on my F100 has been there for 20+ years.

[byersmtrco]

AutoMeter electronic gauges are deadnuts accurate.
I am building my gage-pack. I'm still going to put them in the AC vent (hide them in plain sight . . . so's to speak.
Not sure if it'll work or not. I'm also flip-flopping om adding air conditioning (The Classic Air Syst) If i do, I might vent it out of the stock location . . . Although, the little square vents don't look bad. prob push more airr out too.

[tarps3]

Hey John,
I had the Sunpro setup on my Bird and they make a copper line replacement for the plastic line.
Did the same thing on the '64 Chevy truck I had after the headers melted the plastic line. Lot 'o smoke when that happened! ha!

[Guest]

John I also installed Sunpro oil press gauge in my 60HT.What I did was run the white plate line thru a length of 3/16 fuel line hose to protect it from any heat.Mine works great,just be sure the line is full of oil and the air is bled out of it.

[JohnG]

Thanks, everyone!!

George, thanks for the picture!! Do you still have the idiot light on the dash hooked up as well??

I am going to see what I can do with copper or steel. The oil filter end is easy to adapt to; the little gauge end is a bit harder.

The plastic is ok except if you get a fold in it while installing or something, that seems to make it susceptible to failure. I also can't find anyone who will sell me a bunch of just plain plastic line to work with, which is annoying.

The idea about the spiral in the copper is neat!! solves the vibration problem. Brake lines seem to use the same tactic.

john

[Guest]

No I disconnected them.I was planning on doing it in the future,but I will leave that to the proud new owner.

[Petrolhead]

I am going to see what I can do with copper or steel. The oil filter end is easy to adapt to; the little gauge end is a bit harder.
john

John, I just used copper line the same OD as the plastic line. My local engineering supply shop sold it by the metre, along with the olives (the little cone shaped fitting the slides over the tubing to seal the ends) to suit.

It worked exactly the same as the plastic line at the gauge end: slide copper line through the brass nut fitting that comes with the gauge, slip the olive over the end of the line, then screw the nut on to male fitting that sticks out of the back of the the guage.

At the engine end, I got a brass adapter from the engineering shop that fitted the hole in the engine block where the warning light sender went, and the other and accepted the standard nut fitting that came with the guage.

Dead simple, only took under an hour from go to whoa, just make sure you use a grommet where the line passes through the firewall (or share an existing grommeted (new word for today) hole), and remember to slide the grommet onto the line before doing up the fittings.

You could also use a T fitting so that the warning light still operates.

[scumdog]

You could also use a T fitting so that the warning light still operates.

An item us '66 owners don't have - and something that makes me nervous having always had one in a car.

But if you DO have the oil-light then when fitting a guage I would follow Petrolheads advice.

[JohnG]

I visited an old-school plumbing supply store with my T fitting (for the oil filter end) and my pressure gauge. Had 10' of 1/8" copper line. showed all this to 'em and said "I gotta get from here to here...what do I need?"

It took about 10 minutes of scrounging but we got an adapter for the back of the Sunpro to get up one size and a fitting for the other end. About $6 when done.

The plumbing guys call the olives "ferrils" (sp?)

Yes, I definitely need a grommet for the fire wall or my shoe will be 10W-30 one day!!

Yes, I have a brass plumbing T fitting above the oil filter so I can still have the idiot light. That is pretty easy.

I am also going to put a spiral like loop in the line so it has some flex to it and resists vibration and engine movement.

My only remaining question has to do with air. George says I have to bleed out the air. I know from the plastic line that there is indeed alot of air in there as it has nowhere to go. Did not prevent the gauge from working well but... So what is the best procedure?? I can crack a fitting open but in doing so trash the Teflon I put in it for a good seal (I hate seeping oil leaks).

Thanks for all the great ideas and info!!

John

[Guest]

John what I did is teflon the fitting on the back of the gauge but do not connect the line to it.Hold a good absorbent rag over the end of the line and start the car and let the oil come out of the line till it is solid oil,shut the car off and connect the line to the gauge.I did it one handed thru the glove box,and the gauge works great with no leaks.