A Cautionary Tale

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jonn6464

1970 Duster
Joined
Mar 29, 2017
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Location
Weatherford, TX
I was playing with the timing today on my E-Body, LA 360 engine. I loosened the retaining cover and advanced it, tightened up the retainer and hopped inside.

Started the car and was listening to the idle when I felt something strange on my gas pedal foot. I was wearing flip flops and it felt like something was crawling on me. I looked down and saw motor oil running down my foot.
I quickly shut it down and got back under the hood where I saw oil all over the firewall, the valve covers, headers, and pouring down to the floor.
After some detective work, I realized that the tiny nylon tube that carries oil from the block to the pressure gauge under the dash was split right above the fitting. It was pissing oil everywhere. I must have bumped it with the wrench when I was adjusting the dizzy retainer. I guess the tube was brittle after years of service. So, be careful down there if you have the same set up.
I pulled the fitting and fed the tube through until the split was gone. It's functioning properly again, but I'm left with a hell of a mess. I wiped down a lot of it, but I need to pressure wash the engine bay.
There is a question in all of this...
There is oil on the bulkhead. Can I spray the bulkhead area lightly with degreaser and water? I'll leave it out in the sun all day to dry (it's 100 degrees here so it will dry). Will this do damage to the electrical connections at the bulkhead?

0823201052c.jpg
0823201052.jpg
 
and this is why i always use steel braided on those. glad you caught it in the driveway. de-grease and rinse. wrap the distributor in plastic so you don't get a bunch of water under the cap
 
I was playing with the timing today on my E-Body, LA 360 engine. I loosened the retaining cover and advanced it, tightened up the retainer and hopped inside.

Started the car and was listening to the idle when I felt something strange on my gas pedal foot. I was wearing flip flops and it felt like something was crawling on me. I looked down and saw motor oil running down my foot.
I quickly shut it down and got back under the hood where I saw oil all over the firewall, the valve covers, headers, and pouring down to the floor.
After some detective work, I realized that the tiny nylon tube that carries oil from the block to the pressure gauge under the dash was split right above the fitting. It was pissing oil everywhere. I must have bumped it with the wrench when I was adjusting the dizzy retainer. I guess the tube was brittle after years of service. So, be careful down there if you have the same set up.
I pulled the fitting and fed the tube through until the split was gone. It's functioning properly again, but I'm left with a hell of a mess. I wiped down a lot of it, but I need to pressure wash the engine bay.
There is a question in all of this...
There is oil on the bulkhead. Can I spray the bulkhead area lightly with degreaser and water? I'll leave it out in the sun all day to dry (it's 100 degrees here so it will dry). Will this do damage to the electrical connections at the bulkhead?

View attachment 1715583340 View attachment 1715583341


I carry a replacement nylon tube kit in my glove box for this reason... It happened to me once... Just once....
 
I 100% agree with kersplat and krazy. Nylon is illegal for nhra racing, and I don't trust copper either. My car has a.n. fittings and aircraft surplus braided stainless Teflon hose. Not cheap, but I'm race legal, and I won't have to clean my interior.
 
A tube of hot, pressurized engine fluid into the cabin always seems insane to me.

Personally, I'll stick to the electric sending units and gauges.
 
That's why I removed the same type of oil pressure guage the day I got my dart
 
John 6464,
I use copper tubing, for that very reason. Lucky for you it happened at home.
Thanks for bringing it to members attention.
and this is why i always use steel braided on those. glad you caught it in the driveway. de-grease and rinse. wrap the distributor in plastic so you don't get a bunch of water under the cap
Where do you find small diameter steel braided with fittings that small?
Joe
 
Is this an aftermarket oil pressure setup? I don't remember these from the factory. Could you convert to a standard electric gauge with a sending unit? That would seem like a good idea to me.
 
John 6464,
I use copper tubing, for that very reason. Lucky for you it happened at home.
Thanks for bringing it to members attention.

Where do you find small diameter steel braided with fittings that small?
Joe
i go to a hose place close by me and get them made. but you can get everything from summit, by going to the shop i don't need to worry about ordering the wrong fitting for the gauge. they're not all the same

Is this an aftermarket oil pressure setup? I don't remember these from the factory. Could you convert to a standard electric gauge with a sending unit? That would seem like a good idea to me.
senders can go bad, and i like having a mechanical oil gauge. i use a T and keep the dash light too
 
AN-3 is the size. Aircraft Spruce has a good selection of fittings and such. Important to use Teflon lined braded hose, not rubber braded hose.
 
John 6464,
I use copper tubing, for that very reason. Lucky for you it happened at home.
Thanks for bringing it to members attention.

Where do you find small diameter steel braided with fittings that small?
Joe
1/8 pipe female to a.n.3 for the gauge and engine end, with a short male/male 1/8 pipe nipple into the pressure port.
 
Is this an aftermarket oil pressure setup? I don't remember these from the factory. Could you convert to a standard electric gauge with a sending unit? That would seem like a good idea to me.
Shoutout to Gary from Performace Auto, small shop in PA did just that.
He incorporated an oil psi guage face into the standard Oil "idiot light" guage. Brilliant!
Looks original, until you look closely.
Screenshot_20200823-234342_Gallery.jpg
 
I run copper because of this. I had a 71 duster and the oil pressure line blew inside the car. That car smelled like dirty motor oil from that day forward. The last one I installed I used the fancy braided line. They are pretty cheap and you can get them in just about any length you need.
 
I like good quality electric gauges. That way, you're not transferring fluid to the interior of the car.
 
I was playing with the timing today on my E-Body, LA 360 engine. I loosened the retaining cover and advanced it, tightened up the retainer and hopped inside.

Started the car and was listening to the idle when I felt something strange on my gas pedal foot. I was wearing flip flops and it felt like something was crawling on me. I looked down and saw motor oil running down my foot.
I quickly shut it down and got back under the hood where I saw oil all over the firewall, the valve covers, headers, and pouring down to the floor.
After some detective work, I realized that the tiny nylon tube that carries oil from the block to the pressure gauge under the dash was split right above the fitting. It was pissing oil everywhere. I must have bumped it with the wrench when I was adjusting the dizzy retainer. I guess the tube was brittle after years of service. So, be careful down there if you have the same set up.
I pulled the fitting and fed the tube through until the split was gone. It's functioning properly again, but I'm left with a hell of a mess. I wiped down a lot of it, but I need to pressure wash the engine bay.
There is a question in all of this...
There is oil on the bulkhead. Can I spray the bulkhead area lightly with degreaser and water? I'll leave it out in the sun all day to dry (it's 100 degrees here so it will dry). Will this do damage to the electrical connections at the bulkhead?

View attachment 1715583340 View attachment 1715583341

Moral of the story , NEVER USE THE NYLON TUBING , ur own fault !
 
Thanks for assigning blame Bob. Very helpful to the overall discussion.

No problem , ''LOL'' , I have always used a copper line , but really like the braided ones , but have never seemed to want to spend the $$ on them at the time I needed it .
 
I like the idea of the braided line. But, I'm actually glad I didn't have it this time. If the oil had not sprayed through the hole in the firewall, I would not have felt it on my foot. I was about to take off down the road, and who knows what might have happened.

Anyone know if there are fittings to convert this to an electrical gauge, or do I just need a new one?
 
I like the idea of the braided line. But, I'm actually glad I didn't have it this time. If the oil had not sprayed through the hole in the firewall, I would not have felt it on my foot. I was about to take off down the road, and who knows what might have happened.

Anyone know if there are fittings to convert this to an electrical gauge, or do I just need a new one?

If you would've had the braided line you wouldn't have had the problem to begin with.
 
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