Aftermarket oil pressure guage

autox19

True Classic
Looking to put an aftermarket oil pressure gauge in my b16 x19. The question I have is does running the pressure tube all the way from the engine cause issues?

Odie
 
My advice would be............forget about the oil pressure tube type gauge!! Use an electric-type gauge, then all you need is a wire....from a sender on the engine block up to the gauge, secured up on the instrument panel. MUCH easier!

cheers, IanL - NZ
 
Agree with using electric type gauge. Also it avoids the possibility of the tube leaking and loosing oil. Had that happen back in the 70's when pretty much all aftermarket gauges were "mechanical". The leak happened at the fitting to the back of the gauge and it leaked oil all over my shoes and pants. :oops:
 
do you do that via vacuum, I presume? I have a mech. coolant temp & oil pres gauge installed by the PO of my '79....they are generally rather nice gauges so I would not mind keeping them. They're currently disconnected as I've been re-doing the interior & wiring. Obviously, this would be a good time to change them to electronic versions if I were to go that route. Oh, and for general information, the oil pressure gauge was set up using copper tubing. I don't know if that's inherently more or less secure than the common nylon. There was some residue around the fitting when I was taking it apart/opening it, but I must say the 'action' of both those gauges is nice, especially coming from the 124 world where the factory oil pressure gauge is a marvel of inaccuracy.
 
I suppose you could, depending on the size of the line you might also use a turkey baster or syringe to fill the line before installation. I put a valve into the system to bleed the air out, much like you bleed a cooling system. If you leave the air in the line the gauge will still work, it might just respond a bit slower as the air in the line is compressed/decompressed.
 
One of the things I have found is the mechanical has more of a sweep. I can't seem to find non digital electronic versions that have a full sweep. Most seem to be 90 degree.

Odie
 
I have put a lot of mechanical oil gauges in my spiders using the nylon line with no failures. When I thought the Fiat electrical gauge I put in the X was reading low I installed a mechanical gauge using copper line with no problems. I guess electrical would make the most sense but I'm not impressed with using old spider oil gauges as they just don't seem to read right.
 
I have always steered away from mechanical oil pressure gauges, but owning two cars where a PO installed one, I am developing an appreciation. Accuracy...or, at least behavior that implies accuracy...is a wonderful thing. Maybe something other than a Veglia would provide the same, and to be honest, I don't know if the Veglia issue is with the gauge or the sender.
 
One of the things I have found is the mechanical has more of a sweep. I can't seem to find non digital electronic versions that have a full sweep.
VDO has a large selection of gauges (including some that look like the 70's-80's production styles), maybe see if you find what you're looking for there. I'm not very familiar with the US brands like Stewart Warner, but they might have a good selection too. The local big-box parts stores likely won't offer much choice, and sources like eBay will mostly have the modern LED "disco" styles.
 
Just looked on their site. The "chrome" series does have 1 electrical with a large sweep. 150 psi is more than I need but beggars can't be choosers.

Odie
 
Rule of thumb for accuracy - look for gauges that have working ranges in the middle of the scale. So if your oil pressure is typically 50 psi look for a gauge with a scale that reaches 100 psi.
 
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