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| Joined: | 03-12-2005 |
| Location: | Kingman, Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 532 |
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It may be possible to successfully reattach a plastic oil gauge 'pipe' that has become detached from its fitting. Here, I'd trim off 3 or 4 cm from the end of the 'pipe', apply sufficient heat from a heat gun to soften the new end, then push it onto the fitting's central spigot. I haven't tried this as its chance of success depends strongly on the condition of the plastic 'pipe'. A better repair would involve replacing the entire plastic tube with a high-pressure, high-temperature, oil-resistant hose of the proper size, and using a couple of hose clamps to secure the ends of the hose to the original fittings, but this would likely cost more than a new 'pipe' from Delta.
The 'pipe' fittings appear to use 1/8"-27 British Standard Pipe (BSP) straight-cut threads, not the similarly-named and -sized, but not quite compatible, US standard pipe thread. Since BSP fittings are not common in the US, any repair would probably involve re-using the original fittings.
One needs to ensure that the 'pipe' is correctly installed. The interior part of the gauge-end coupling has a flat face with a recessed central region. The oil gauge's threaded fitting mates with this recess and uses a traditional leather washer for a seal. An oil-resistant o-ring should provide a decent seal if the leather washer is missing or damaged.
The interior part of the engine-end coupling has a tapered nose that fits directly into a matching depression in the brass male-male adapter ('union') that screws into the aluminum cover that in turn is bolted to the engine. A close look at this adapter will reveal that (a) its engine side has a flat face, and (b) the engine-side threads are slightly tapered (making them 1/8"-27 BSP taper-cut threads). It is vital to install the adapter with the correct side out, or leaks will surely occur. (Engines with an oil pressure switch that activates the anti-run-on valve use a different adapter, but the general idea should be the same.)
Whatever approach you take, be sure to protect the 'pipe' from cuts and abrasions in the engine bay and where it passes through the firewall.
Electrical Oil Pressure Gauges.
I recommend using only a mechanical oil pressure gauge in a JH. The 907 engine will often exhibit erratic oil pressure as an immediate precursor to catastrophic failure, and if one pays attention to the oil pressure gauge it's usually possible to shut things down before expensive damage occurs. But electrical gauges -- particularly Smiths ones -- respond quite slowly, by design, and rarely provide a timely warning of these disasters.