Mechanical Oil Pressure gauge fitting

Group,

Do you know where I could get a new fitting for my mechanical oil pressure gauge? It has a plastic tube that connect the gauge to the block and the block side is leaking bad. Is it just a standard compression fitting?

Thanks

Standard compression fitting.

Would it be better to use something like this?

Summit: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rus-640720

I think if you nip off the bad piece of plastic and use a new compression fitting, or just replace the whole plastic line it'll outlast your ownership of the Bronco, but if the insurance is worth $40 to you then go for it.

Is yours still outfitted with the stock extension tube? That would be a hex-shaped piece with the male thread on one side and female on the other at a slight angle.
They've been made from both aluminum and steel, but have a long history of cracking at the male threads into the block. Especially the aluminum ones.

If that's where it's leaking then a new metal version of the extension can fix it.
If you don't need the extension, or your fitting is straight into the block already, then just a new adapter should do the trick.

The block threads are just standard pipe thread. What the others said about the gauge/hose end fittings I'd suppose. Unless yours is something special.
I'm sure 99% of them using the plastic tube are just standard stuff, but might want to post up a pic of it anyway.
You know... Just in case.;D

Paul

If you run a stainless line, be sure to protect it near any wires. The stainless is abrasive and will damage wire insulation due to normal vibration. Once that happens the wires will short to ground on the stainless braid. It generally causes an electrical issue and an oil leak as the arch to stainless damages in inner Teflon liner of the braided line. A quick coating of shrink tubing over the braided line is all you need.

Get rid of the nylon line. Get yourself a length of braided steel with AN fittings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To answer a couple of questions,

"Is yours still outfitted with the stock extension tube?" No

Strait into the block with the compression fitting. I think I am going to just get a new fitting and see how it goes. I have the plastic hose routed with rubber grommets and it is nice and neat. I just don't want to have the plastic hose break and cause me a fire! This hose is from the original restoration I did on the Bronco for my dad in 1992. Bronco is put away so I will try to get a look at it this weekend.

Amazon cells the complete kit with adapters for $5. It would cost you that in gas to go to NAPA,

I ran the nylon for years in my early bronco before restoration and never had an issue.

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-SP0F00...oil+pressure+gauge+kit&qid=1573663427&sr=8-15

Is the copper tubing still available? Cheaper and smaller than going the stainless route. Did it on my GTO back in 81. Still works fine.

I'm using the hose from Summit.

nickgp said:

Is the copper tubing still available? Cheaper and smaller than going the stainless route. Did it on my GTO back in 81. Still works fine.

Click to expand...

The braided SS hose is overkill for most users. 1/8" copper tube works very well. Every 70's era GM truck had this for it's oil pressure gauge. The existing fittings will work with it, just need to get new ferrules and maybe new tube nuts. I'm using it on the Bronc-up to remote mount the oil pressure sender and the electric fuel pump kill switch. I didn't want those both hanging on the end of the OE adapter/extender for the reason Dirtdonk mentions. I form a loop in it in the section between the engine and the frame to help deal with vibration.

nickgp said:

Is the copper tubing still available? Cheaper and smaller than going the stainless route. Did it on my GTO back in 81. Still works fine.

Click to expand...

Yes it is..and that is all I'll use. I had the plastic line fail a couple times on me way back the day and have never used it since.

X2 on the plastic line. It works, but if it gets hot now there’s an oil leak

nickgp said:

Is the copper tubing still available? Cheaper and smaller than going the stainless route. Did it on my GTO back in 81. Still works fine.

Click to expand...

Here's the copper setup at Napa. Made by VDO.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7012154

i’m just now reading this thread on the oil pressure extension tube.

question for the forum. to remove that extension tube it looks pretty tight to get a wrench in there. do you typically take out the oil filter and get at it from the under side?

I think I got one out a 1/4" at a time without removing the filter or the pump (I'm a lot more patient than I am smart) but I wonder if just using the right size deep socket would do the trick?
I've only removed a couple of them in all these years, and don't remember if I've ever tried that or not. But as awkward as the shape and angle and location are, it seems there might be a socket that's just the right size to grab some meat.

Paul

Yes you can do it without removing the fuel pump and oil filter but it takes a while like Paul said

CA650 said:

i’m just now reading this thread on the oil pressure extension tube.

question for the forum. to remove that extension tube it looks pretty tight to get a wrench in there. do you typically take out the oil filter and get at it from the under side?

Click to expand...

I've done it with an end wrench and I've done it with deep socket, which was far easier. The key to the deep socket working is the depth of the broached hex. It has to be deep enough to get down over it past the angle cut so that it is making contact on all 6 flats/corners, and most good deep sockets aren't broached that deep.

Can try it with a shallowly broached socket, I'd suspect that if it is too shallow that it won't grab & stay centered. Be more careful with the more common aluminum version, they're not all that hard and are easier to mangle than the more rare steel version.

yep. thanks all as usual.

I did take the oil filter out, put some teflon tape on the wild horses extender and used a hex socket. it went in well.

one thing I dont like about the wild horses extender is that it sets the sender gauge off at a weird angle and somehow no matter how carefully I adjusted the teflon tape it always ended up aligning the sending unit into the oil filter.

I liked the quality but it was a complexor not a simplifier to me.
btw the sending unit that plugs into that wildhorses socket
was slightly larger than the one I took off and it reads wrong for me.. I think I read someplace here that ford used different sending units at different times and this might be the wrong one or it’s not grounding properly because it reads like 100+ and the old one which still worked read dead on 60. I was careful to leave enough metal on the threads of the extender to get a ground to the block but IDK

but at least the leak is fixed. that was a shitload of work hunting that leak down. at first I was sure it was the drivers side front of the oil pan.. replaced that with a nice looking milodon unit which caused me to swap the dipstick and learn that my hooker headers have the wrong bolts on them..

that wasn’t the problem.. then I was sure it was the oil filter - tried 3 checking for double seals etc.. then the oil sender stalk and that seemed to do it.. unbelievable how badly that leaked..

but in the end I think I need to remove the front grill and do the timing chain seal.. it looks bad and needs to be swapped I think. that job I do not want to do myself but I will if I have to.. i’ve accumulated all the parts.. PB for the fender nuts, spraying them now weekly to get ready.. new harmonic balancer, all the front end gaskets, the timing chain etc.. probably will get a new bolt set for the cover and for the grill.. lot of labor in that job I think. worst part will be my kid asking me every 4 hours if it’s done and if he can drive yet.

im reading the forum more this week trying to find the right engine blue for the 74 ford so I can re-paint the timing chain cover.. mine seems lighter in color on this original 1974 engine.. im looking at grabber blue now to see if that’s the best match - it’s more of a baby blue in my engine