Do's & Don'ts?

[crushnut]

With installing a mechanical oil pressure guage, i've already got the copper tubing and stuff. Anything that i should be careful not to do, or watch out for? This is my first mechanical guage install, im use to electrical guages.

Thanks

 

[D.Hearne]

Well, first of all , ditch the copper tubing and use the nylon tubing that comes with the gauge. I like to feed the nylon tubing into vacuum hose to protect it from any possible damage, it also blends it into the scenery under the hood.

 

[bud4660]

Well, first of all , ditch the copper tubing and use the nylon tubing that comes with the gauge. I like to feed the nylon tubing into vacuum hose to protect it from any possible damage, it also blends it into the scenery under the hood.

Why couldnt you do the same with the copper tubing?? I have had the nylon break at one of the fittings and spray oil everywhere. I also like to use alum tubing over copper.

 

[2bav8]

Any NHRA drag strip requires copper tubing.

 

[rbohm]

coil the copper tube near the firewall to prevent vibration cracking.

 

[crushnut]

The plastic tubing that came with the guage was crap, it was all coiled up and just trying to straighten it out put kinks and bends in it, so i decided to ditch it and get copper tubing, as recommended by pabear89.

 

[gp001]

I've always hated mechanical gauges for this reason. We put one in a friends 5.0 and the nylon line broke. Then the copper went at the compression fitting. After 2 very messy breaks I suggested he use some braided line and fittings. He did and has not had a problem since. It's a little pricy, but after the mess it was well worth it. Just another method to think about.

 

[charlies]

don't hook the pressure line to the winshield washer nipple at the edge of the back of the hood.

 

[crushnut]

huh why would you do that?

 

[D.Hearne]

In all my years of using nylon tubing, I've never had one break. The only nylon tubing I have had break was the coiled lines running from the truck to trailer on an 18 wheeler, and this was in sub-zero weather. Copper tubing is subject to being kinked, ditto for aluminum. Just because the NHRA requires something doesn't mean it's the best thing to use. The Federal DOT regs, also have rules that require things that are also not the best solution to a problem.

 

[charlies]

not sure on the why, but the result would be dramatic.

 

[cardude]

watch for kinking and such especially under the dash, it gets tight in there if you are trying to make it pretty and tucked away.

 

[68stang351]

After I first put my windsor in my car, I was going down the road ragging the crap out of my car while passing someone. I look back to see a HUGE cloud of white smoke, so thick that I couldn't even see the car I had just passed. I look at my oil gauge and the pressure is at 0.
I thought "Oh great, I just got the new motor broke in and now I tore it up." I pulled over and I was all worried that I had royally screwed my new motor up. I didn't notice anything odd under the hood, so I couldn't figure out what happened. So I decided to see if it would start back up and see what it sounded like. So I start up the car with the hood up and oil goes everywhere. Turns out that the stupid nylon line had a pinhole melted in it and was shooting 60psi of oil onto my headers.

I wasn't smart enough to get copper right away, but I decided to after I burnt 2 more nylon tubes. Yes I tried to keep them away from heat, but I think they melt too easily.

 

[D.Hearne]

That's why I suggested running it inside vacuum hose. And I don't route it anywhere close to headers or manifolds.

 

[12sec67]

i had my nylon break on me a few times then goy smart and went to copper.... no problems in 2 years.

but putting inside of another tubing is a good idea

 

[GaPonyFarm]

Maybe a dumb question... Why would you want to use a mechanical gauge? Electrical gauges are at least as accurate, if not more so. Just buy good gauges, and sending units, and don't subject yourself to the hassles of mechanical stuff.

 

[D.Hearne]

There's just something about Mechanical gauges ( can we have a Tim Allen, aarrggghhh ,aaarrgghhh, aaaarrrgghhh here? ) over electric ones

 

[69 302/351c]

I went with the braided line on my 302, copper on my 351C. I've seen the nylon lines after a couple of years and it gets hard and brittle. Also have both mech. and elect. gages. Aftermarket mechanical with the stock gages in the instrument cluster still operative.

 

[crushnut]

There's just something about Mechanical gauges ( can we have a Tim Allen, aarrggghhh ,aaarrgghhh, aaaarrrgghhh here? ) over electric ones

Exactly

 

[pabear89]

With installing a mechanical oil pressure guage, i've already got the copper tubing and stuff. Anything that i should be careful not to do, or watch out for? This is my first mechanical guage install, im use to electrical guages.

Thanks

I use the copper tube covered with 1/4 in ID vac hose in the engine compartment area to and thru the firewall.
It will keep the tube safe from caffing and make it a cleaner mounting for clamps.
It's a good idea to wrap a few coils for future work.
U can use a aspirin bottle and wrap the line around it so not to put a kink in the tube. one or two coils at each end will help if you ever need to disconnect or move the tube.

Just my opinion.

PB