Oil Pressure Sender / Switch

[ntsqd]

I'm not getting the idea that the failure mode is understood. It's not if it will fail, it is when. If the vehicle isn't used hard then the when will be a long ways out there but its still going to happen. Some add a second sensor or switch to the end of the extension and that will shorten the time to failure immensely. It's just a terribly bad idea. I'll guess that Ford only did it that way because Accounting (McNamara?) required it as the least costly option.

I still don't and won't do it that way. I move the sender to a remote mounted fitting and use an 1/8" copper tube with a coiled strain relief to connect it. I've used the copper tubing for 30+ years without a problem. GM started using it in 1973 for the oil pressure gauges in their pick-ups. Must be literally billions of cumulative miles on those and it's rare to hear of one failing. They only stopped doing it that way when the TBI trucks came along.
If you're still squeamish about the copper tubing then use -2 or -3 AN braided SS hose instead.

 

[victorbronco]

To circle back around I bought a new extension from Toms Offroad that advertised the extension as steel. Received it and took a magnet to it and it was not steel. So I bought some PB blaster penetrating oil and soaked the existing, already installed extension threads 4-5 times over the course of the last two weeks and today took a 3" deep socket and turned the extension slightly further clockwise and was able to thread the new larger oil pressure sender on just fine. Thank you everyone for your inputs, I appreciate it.

 

[Steve83]

...a magnet to it and it was not steel.

Not all steel is magnetizable. A better test would be to weigh it (on a modern digital kitchen scale), and see how much water it displaces (in something tall & narrow, like a graduated cylinder for best accuracy). Or check if a pointed piece of steel will scratch it. I have some SS extensions that aren't magnetizable. I also have a square-cut original, but its port is at 90°.

 

[ntsqd]

Carbon steels are magnetic. Stainless steels depend on the specific alloy. Some non-ferrous metals can be magnetized or are very mildly magnetic, most can/are not.

If I were going to make a part like stock extension from SS I'd use 303 SS, and it will be mildly magnetic after machining unless deliberately de-magnetized.

 

[Steve83]

These aren't at all attracted to/by a strong magnet.

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I put one on this engine (far right):

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