Something really stupid happened to me yesterday evening. The nylon hose of my mechanical oil pressure gauge burst when I hit the gas pretty good and oil pressure increased. Made a real mess in my engine compartment. Luckily I noticed shortly after it happened and shut the engine down before anything got damaged. I still had 15 lbs oil pressure then. I got towed home but I haven't checked the oil for metal sparks yet. I hope everything turns out okay and I will only need to change the oil and oil filter.
So this stupid incident got me thinking. First of all I will replace the nylon hose with copper tubing. I didn't know they offered copper tubing kits before just today. I always thought nylon hose was normal.
The other idea that I had was to add an idiot light or acoustic warning signal to the mechanical gauge, so that you will notice immediately when something is wrong with the oil pressure. How would that work? I was thinking about adding an electrical idiot light sending unit somewhere to the oil line with an adaptor. Has anyone ever done something like that? Or is there a better, way easier way to do this?
Are there sending units available that can be adjusted when they give the alarm? I don't want one that only reacts when there is absolutely no oil pressure anymore. And what kind of warning signals are available? An acoustic signal would be good, but a combination of acoustic and optical would be best I think.
Glad you caught it in time! Yes, there are several different ways to do this. I had a "T" in my oil pressure port for many years and used both the "idiot light" as well as a gauge. My Brother had one in his rock crawler so that when the extreme angles caused loss of oil pressure a bright red light would flash on his instrument panel. Here's one of several transducers that can be used to do it: http://www.esi-transducer.com/products/low_pressure/
Jeff http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=46251
SOLD-71 F-350 dually flatbed, 302 / .030 over V-8 with a "baby"C-6, B & M truckshifter, Dana70/4.11 ratio, intermittent wipers, tilt steering, full LED lighting on the flat bed, and no stereo yet (this way I can hear the rattles to diagnose)! SOLD!
Many Ford bumps / one 76' EB / and several dents through the years.
A lot of "oddball" Ford parts collected from working on them for 34 years now!
2008 Ford Escape 4 x 4
I would not use copper tubing, it work hardens with vibration and then cracks. I would prefer a plastic tubing over copper, with steel being my first choice. If a line goes from the engine to any part of the body, there is no way I would use copper.
Summit has also got warning lights to use with the sending units.
How could I get an acoustical signal additionally to the warning light? I was thinking about something like a turn signal relay or similar that makes a distinctive sound when it gets current. Like when you open the doors with ignition on in modern cars. I could hook it up to the connection between the sending unit and the warning light then. But I don't know what or where to look for something like that. Anyone an idea? Stuff from Summit would be the best because I already need some parts from them and could save on shipping that way.
Kurt Combs wrote:I would not use copper tubing, it work hardens with vibration and then cracks. I would prefer a plastic tubing over copper, with steel being my first choice. If a line goes from the engine to any part of the body, there is no way I would use copper.
I definitely see your point there, Kurt. But why would they offer the copper tubing for gauges then? I have read a lot of pro copper tubing opinions on the internet also. Maybe I could use a hose where the copper tube enters the firewall? That should equalize the vibration.
I don't have an answer for you, but I would never use copper on a gasoline or brake line for this very reason. I assume amateur workmanship if I see copper lines on anything that vibrates. How about using a gauge with a electronic sending unit so you don't have oil piped into the cab? Maybe someone else will jump in here and add to the conversation about the pros and cons of copper tubing.
I agree with what you say about traditional 100% copper tubing. I used "Cunifer" tubing for my brake lines. It's an alloy made of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe). I think this alloy is much more vibration absorbing than normal copper. On the other hand they say the gauge tubing is made of copper, they don't say anything about cunifer.
What do you think about using braided Aeroquip hoses for the oil line?
I would rather stay with my mechanical gauge than going electric. I don't want to have more wiring than necessary.
Haven't figured out which one exactly, but theses braided hoses seem to be the best bet for me. They offer good protection for the oil line and won't break because of vibration.
Now I only need to figure out how to get an acoustical warning signal. Anyone an idea?
they make a 5/8 brass fitting for just that purpose. It has the electrical pressure bulb threads for the idiot light and the 5/16 / 3/8 threads for the mechanical oil pressure guage adaptor, just unscrew the electrical pressure bulb then thread in the fitting, screw the bulb into the end of it and the the adaptor and plumb it in. Nylon hose ages and copper line cracks so it's a choice you'll have to decide upon. In doing my trucks I just go to the junk yard and always find one off of an older van, Don't use liquid thread sealer on the fittings, but use thread tape as the liquid kind can easily get in the guage and bulb.
Haven't figured out which one exactly, but theses braided hoses seem to be the best bet for me. They offer good protection for the oil line and won't break because of vibration.
Now I only need to figure out how to get an acoustical warning signal. Anyone an idea?
Braided hose is the only way to go in my opinion since its flexible and tough. Many racing rules do not allow that nylon tubing for pressure gauge installations. Copper does work harden and can be trouble if not installed correctly.
Regarding the warning - I like to install a 5mm 12volt red LED for a warning light. LEDs are bright, more compact and resist vibration better than regular bulbs. The LED's power wire is hooked to a source that is hot only when the key is in the RUN position, and the ground wire is hooked to a factory low oil pressure switch. The factory switch unit is typically the smaller of the two types of senders used on these trucks. When the oil pressure is below the switches opening pressure, it grounds the wire and the red LED comes on.
owner of several 67-72 as well as 73-79 Ford trucks
Wanted: Parts for my 1930 Dodge coupe project - the DD model was built in 1930 and 1931
