How to route oil pressure gauge line?

CobERA · #1 (**permalink**) 04-26-2003, 07:19 PM

Bob,

How do you recommend the oil pressure line be routed? I have a street style dash. The line enters the engine compartment through the grommet hole on the left hand side of the firewall.

I want to keep the line away from trouble.

Thanks,

Steve Dickey · #2 (**permalink**) 04-26-2003, 07:50 PM

CobERA,
I speak from experience on this one. Keep it at least 8-10" away from your primary pipes or you will have a lot of smoke, possibly a fire, and maybe worse.
Good luck. Steve

A Snake · #3 (**permalink**) 04-26-2003, 09:53 PM

As Steve said, keep it away from the headers. With an FE engine like yours, you can (assuming you have remote oil filter adapter) bring it up the front of the engine from the block adapter and lay it alongside the valve cover. If you can locate some OEM clips, you can put on two of them under the valve cover bolts to keep the line from moving around and chafing. One more clip hooked to a bolt in the end of the head and you're in business. (Just use an already threaded hole in the head.)

What ever you decide to do, it is critical not to put the line where it will get cut, burned or rubbed.

Another tip: whether the line is plastic or copper, make it longer than needed and coil up the excess under the dash. Sometimes a need to shorten from damage will arise. I have had the most trouble at the fitting going into the adapter getting crimped or bent. Also keep a couple of extra brass compression rings around in case of just such damage. It's pretty hard to get the old ones off without damaging them once they've been crimped.

Last but not least: If the line is plastic, cut it with a razor blade on a hard surface to keep it round. DO NOT use side cutters or tubing cutter on plastic.

Al

Chaplin · #4 (**permalink**) 04-27-2003, 12:57 AM

Rick-
Thanks for asking all the questions you've been asking- believe it or not, these are the exact questions that I have been wondering about myself.

As for this question, I was at ERA last week and took a look at how they ran the oil pressure line on a turn key car they were finishing and they routed it as follows:

Starting from the back of the gauge, the line went all the way to the left hand side (driver's side) of the firewall. From there, it went through the firewall and seemed to run underneath the bottom inner lip of the fender/hood opening until it was next to the filter. Once it reached as far forward as the filter, the line went straight down along the inner fender well and then connected to the pressure fitting on the filter adaptor.

Bob, did I do it right?

RICK LAKE · #5 (**permalink**) 04-27-2003, 06:15 AM

cobERA Rick I have the same system. Check the manual for the way to run it. I ran my oil line over the top of my motor. It runs up the front and along the inside of the valve cover and through the hole in the dash. Have a couple of loops and pressure couples in the car just in case like the other guys said. If you can find the small plastic wire covers, like what the kids use under the hoods color tubing put it on the hose and made sure it is wiredtied or clamped down every foot to stop the line from vibration and chaffing when driving. leave a nice loop where the line goes from the engine to the frame. Good Luck Rick Lake

John 550 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-27-2003, 07:01 AM

run your" line" thru a short piece of heat resistant hose
(braided jacket) when it nears the primary pipes .

CobERA · #7 (**permalink**) 04-27-2003, 10:01 AM

All,

Thanks for the input. I'm about to start working on it. I purchased some -3 braided stainless line and fittings to replace the plastic tubing. I already have the plastic line attached to the gauge and the dash is in place.

I really don't like the idea of the plastic line but I'm not excited about pulling the dash again. Also it looks like it might be a tight fit for the fittings behind the gauge because I have a heater box. (I live in Texas - don't know why I have a heate

).

If it's too tight, it seems there are a couple options:

(1) Swap the fuel gauge and the oil pressure gauge.
(2) Use the plastic line to connect to the gauge, and connect the plastic to the stainless line behind the dash and run the stainless line to the engine.

Any thoughts or comments?

Chaplin - Do you have your car yet?

John 550 · #8 (**permalink**) 04-27-2003, 06:28 PM

I have 9000 miles on my plastic line ,
but i did protect it from heat where it runs
close to primary pipe 5 , just a 10 inch long tube
used as a sleeve

Chaplin · #9 (**permalink**) 04-27-2003, 09:02 PM

Rick-
No, I don't have mine yet

It should be back from the painter within a week, then at ERA for another 7-10 days and then hopefully in my garage before Memorial Day.

If I were you, I'd pull the dash again and run the stainless the whole way. I would always be worried that the junction where the nylon and stainless meet would eventually leak.

BTW, I was thinking about using braided stainless line instead of the copper tubing- what brand and size stainless line did you buy? Did the line that you bought come with all the fittings to attach to the gauge and the filter adaptor?

Mike

CobERA · #10 (**permalink**) 04-28-2003, 07:01 AM

Mike,

The wait is tough, but it is well worth it! You will be thrilled with the fit and finish.

I bought the stainless steel line and fittings from Top of the Hill Racing. It is -3 stainless steel line with a 90 degree 1/4" male fitting for the oil filter housing and a 45 degree 1/8" fitting for the oil pressure gauge. I also have a few extra holes in my fingers from working attaching the fitting for the oil filter housing.

I have the street style dash. What I learned yesterday is that with the heater box installed, the fittings are too deep to clear the heater box. I tried switching the fuel gauge and the oil pressure gauge, but the heater still got in the way.

I ended up using the plastic line from the gauge with about a six inch run, and then attached the stainless line behind the dash. I ran the stainless line through the firewall and along the underside of the fender using the wiring clamps, to the X frame, and then to the oil filter housing from the front. I do not have a remote oil filter. See pictures below.

Bob Putnam - Any concerns?

Thanks

Chaplin · #11 (**permalink**) 04-28-2003, 07:31 AM

Rick-
Pics look good. Thanks for the info on the lines- I may order it today. BTW, how many feet of line do you need?

Bob-
I have ordered the SC dash with a heater. If I use stainless line, will I have any of the fitment problems Rick is talking about with the Streete dash?

Thank,
Mike

Bob Putnam · #12 (**permalink**) 04-28-2003, 07:34 AM

Rick,

You shouldn't have a problem with that line, other than the gage will react slowly (when cold) because of the long run from the engine. I would have gone directly up from the filter and along the intake manifold...

Steve Dickey · #13 (**permalink**) 04-28-2003, 10:30 AM

CobERA,
Did Top of the Hill have the fitting to the oil pressure gauge. I think it is a 1/8" Brittish pipe thread to dash 3 ??? I've been looking for one to complete my conversion to braided stainless steel line.
Thanks, Steve

CobERA · #14 (**permalink**) 04-28-2003, 12:12 PM

Bob - Thanks for checking out our hookup.

Cold?

I live in Texas - I don't know the meaning of the word. Oh, you mean the engine...

Mike - I am pretty sure that I ordered 90 inches. I cut about ten inches off, but as Bob indicated, it could be routed more directly. Also, remember I've got about six inches of plastic line behind the dash. One other possibility for hooking up directly to the oil pressure gauge would be to swap the oil pressure gauge with the ammeter. On my dash the ammeter is the lower left in the cluster of small gauges. It looks like there is plenty of clearance behind it. I assume it is not a big deal to swap them.

Steve - Top of the Hill provided the line and the fittings. I think the fitting is regular old 1/8" NPT. The fitting they provided fit perfectly on the gauge, although the first fitting they sent was too tight. They graciously sent another that worked just fine.

Steve Dickey · #15 (**permalink**) 04-28-2003, 08:52 PM

Thanks, Rick

Steve

Ikestaa · #16 (**permalink**) 05-01-2003, 11:58 PM

We went with Earls -3 Speed Flex line. We used an adaptor to go from the gauge to -3, and another adapter (45 deg.) on the block to go from 1/8NPT to -3. We ran the line through the hole in the footbox that is just infront of the driver's right knee. From there it goes down to the chassis rail and forward to the remote filter adaptor. We used a section of Earl's Fire Guard to cover the line when in the engine compartment.

Chaplin · #17 (**permalink**) 05-02-2003, 07:36 AM

Ike-
Did you use the Autometer gauge set? B/c I did and I called Autometer to find out what size breaided line to use and they told me that I need the -4 braided steel line, which I just ordered yesterday. Is the -3 correct?

Thanks,
Mike

Ikestaa · #18 (**permalink**) 05-02-2003, 09:41 AM

That's what I originally asked for when I went to Earl's Indy (we have an entire store filled with Earl's parts

). Since it is only transferring a pressure through the line, and not really flowing anything you can use -3. Plus, it is a little cheaper and easier to snake through tight spaces.

Chaplin · #19 (**permalink**) 05-02-2003, 09:45 AM

So you can use either -3 or -4? Then, here's a stupid question, what's the difference between the -3 and -4? Are the size of the fittings the same, but the diameter of the hose is different?

PatBuckley · #20 (**permalink**) 05-02-2003, 09:52 AM

I noticed that you asked Bob Putnam what he recommended and he said to run it down the left side of the intake....then you guys are all going off in strange directions with all kinds of extra length hose!

Bob is right -as usual.

I ran mine as he suggested - it does not cross over or near any exhaust pipes, it is short, and it doesn't look strange.....

Use -3 braided line - it is a sixteenth of an inch smaller than -4 and will result in quicker readings to the guage.

This is not that hard.