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It suggests I should remove the ferrel and fitting to get it fished through the fire wall with the a twine lead. The pictures below are of the oil pressure line I have. How do I get the fitting off without damaging the line? I don't see how I can get the brass part off that keeps the fitting on.
That's not the hardware that came from the factory; someone has done this repair job before.
I'm not familiar with that ferrule and insert design, but I'm sure that it has to be married with the exact fitting from which it was removed.
If the plastic line broke in the engine compartment, I just change the line in the engine compartment and use a compression fitting to join the two line sections together. Care is needed with the line coming from the firewall, as it is usually old and brittle. Don't bend that line and don't try to put a lot of torque on the compression fitting. Just make sure it's tight enough to not leak.
If it broke behind the gauge cluster, you have to remove the cluster to even clean up the mess! Then, I replace the entire line.
P.S. You don't have to worry about getting that line full of oil for it to work properly. For liquids and gasses, "pressure is pressure". Any air in that line will have the same pressure as the oil. In fact, that air might even dampen the pressure pulses from the oil pump somewhat.
Hi 73,
The grommet that the oil line passes through at the firewall has 4 holes molded into it.
If you pull the grommet out of the hole in the firewall (from the engine compartment side) you can cut a slit in the side of the grommet at ONE of the holes (some are already slit) so then you can pull the oil line through the large hole in the firewall with the fittings in place, slip the oil line through the slit into the hole, then push the grommet back in place, and then finally install the fitting to the engine block.
May sound more involved than it actually will be to do!
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan
Here's the grommet. The hole for the oil line has been slit.
Slit from the grommet's edge to the oil line hole. The slit will be held tightly closed once the grommet it pushed back into the firewall.
Push the crimped cone back up the line just a bit. Then using a knife you can easily slide it under the lip of the tubing ferrule and pull it out of the line. Once that's out the crimped cone will slide off the end of the tube.
Take off the compression fitting and then fish your line through the wall.
Before you reinstall the fitting/cone/ferrule back onto the line snip off the tip of the line where it was expanded by the ferrule. This way you'll get a nice snug fit when you push it back in. I did the same thing on my replacement line and it worked perfectly. Keep in mind that the compression fitting creates the mechanical seal holding the other items in place against the receiving part.
BTW: I took apart the end attaching to the motor - that way if it all went south the leak wouldn't be in the interior.
Last edited by Hammerhead Fred; Sep 16, 2016 at 01:50 PM.
I recommend getting a line and ferrule kit from one of the vendors....
I got one from Corvette America and it works.....
You have to buy specific ferrules for these that have the slots to crush the line when tightened......the normal Edelman or Auto Meter stuff will not work!
This way....you know the line is not fatigued.
Jebby
Last edited by Jebbysan; Sep 16, 2016 at 02:39 PM.
Thank you guys for the help. I went the route recommended by Alan. My grommet had a slit cut in it from last time it was changed. I guess it wasn't the original like 7T1vette said. Since it had the slit in the grommet already I put it back through there with the fitting attached and got it connected to the back of the cluster. This was I don't have to worry about it being fatigued.
Hopefully it does not leak. Make sure you keep an eye on it. The reason being...I have seen these line kits with cheap ferrules that just to not work and will not stop leaking.. I have the correct ferrules and have had to cut the line and put one of them on to keep it sealed tight.
Hopefully it does not leak. Make sure you keep an eye on it. The reason being...I have seen these line kits with cheap ferrules that just to not work and will not stop leaking.. I have the correct ferrules and have had to cut the line and put one of them on to keep it sealed tight.
DUB
Thanks I will keep an eye on it. Have tried it yet to see if it leaks waiting for carb and distributor rebuild to come back. Thanks again for the help.
I know you've fixed the problem, but you could also convert to an electric oil pressure gauge (use a sender and gauge from a '74) unless you're keeping everything stock for judging purposes (the face on a '74 gauge is slightly different).
Do not overtighten the fittings on the oil line. It doesn't take much torque to get them to seal; and overtightening will prevent them from ever sealing again. Just tighten snuggly, test for leakage, tighten a bit more till it seals and give it just a bit more [for security].
Do not overtighten the fittings on the oil line. It doesn't take much torque to get them to seal; and overtightening will prevent them from ever sealing again. Just tighten snuggly, test for leakage, tighten a bit more till it seals and give it just a bit more [for security].
I didn't torque it much, but When I took off the old one it did have a bit of torque on it. So hopefully it didn't start of damaged. I didn't notice any leaking before the line broke and the gauge appeared to be working well so hopefully I am fine.
This isn't an item to save money on. Get a high quality kit (hose and fittings) and replace. A wet gauge in the interior isn't the smartest idea, but is the most accurate method for pressure data. A cracked, broken or otherwise leaking connection behind the panel will ruin your day...and carpet, or to mention the residual mess.
When installing a new gauge and line, how do you fill the line with oil? Just installed new gauge and line on '72 350 and only getting 15-20 lbs oil pressure on first start up. I'm guessing it needs to work air out of the line?
What should pressure be and When do I trust the new gauge is full of oil?
No need, it reading pressure at the block. A little oil gets in after a while but it would only fill up if it springs a leak.
With an electrical sending unit, it makes sense.. with a mechanical gauge, there's no sending unit at the block and the gauge is sensing pressure at end of the oil line in the dash. Wouldn't the oil need to reach the gauge for proper reading?
My advice is, get a completly new line, my old one split in the engine compartment and spilled alot of oil....total mess.
Yep, just installed new gauge and line, both from Wilcox.
No leaks, looks good. Just questioning the pressure reading before we put it all back together again.
I prefer a direct pressure gauge and if you don't convert to an electric gauge I wouldn't mess with a plastic line and ferrels. I'm running a braided steel line with AN fittings. Much better and reliable solution.
Oil pressure line
Then, I replace the entire line.
