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Oil Pressure Gauge braided line failure

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T

twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
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Moved the BJ7 Healey out of 'winter' storage in early June; brakes real iffy (fluid leakage?) and the engine puked oil the whole 'move around from behind garage to driveway'. Dang, as the only problem last fall was that the o/d had quit.
Turns out that oil was gushing out of the upper end area of the braided line from the block to the fitting taking the oil pressure up to the oil pressure gauge.
I've pulled the line and there was nothing obviously wrong with it nor the connection (that I could see). I've ordered a replacement braided steel line, but: is this a common problem? any advice on the wrench sizes that work (Imperial worked on the engine end; 13 mm was just a hair too tight on the upper end).
Wisdom solicited!
Doug
 
Yes failure of that line is fairly well known. I had mine rebuilt and the rebuilder suggested that i use high pressure unbraied hydraulic hose becaise the braid carries engine heat to the hoses rubber adding to the potential for failure.--Fwiw-Keoke
 
Keoke said:
Yes failure of that line is fairly well known. I had mine rebuilt and the rebuilder suggested that i use high pressure unbraied hydraulic hose becaise the braid carries engine heat to the hoses rubber adding to the potential for failure.--Fwiw-Keoke
Click to expand...
Not to discount what your mechanic said, but aircraft use braided hoses and operate under more extreme heat than our Healeys. FWIW
 
Yep Patrick, but they do not fly the same hose for 40 years--- :laugh:
 
well, gosh darn and dang: ordered the replacement braided hose from AH Spares in Jolly Olde and it was here a week later, but I didn't get 'round tuit until this past weekend. And found that there was a mis-match with threads/diameter when trying to thread it onto the male fitting on the metal tube to the oil pressure gauge.
Checked with AH and they advised that their's was BSP, the same as it always had been. Their only thought was that there had been a leak there at some point, and a PO had replaced both the tube and braided as a set. I'm the third owner; the first owner had apparently had the speedo replaced at 10 000 miles so maybe?? I've ordered the tube, but I'm curious as to whether or not anyone has any thoughts?
 
I believe the braid is provided more to protect the hose from chafing, but the stainless steel braid would reflect radiant heat from the engine, whereas the black rubber hose would absorb it. Convective/conductive heat from the oil is going to get to the rubber whether there is a braid or not. My conclusion would be that from a heat point of view, it's better to have the braid than not and the protection from chafing is a bonus.
 
Update: replaced the metal tube from the oil gauge along with the braided hose; turns out that the metal tube was just fine and the threads were compatible, but there must have been some sort of little ding/whatever such that the new hose wouldn't thread on while the connection was in place (and a bit awkward to reach). So, caused myself a bunch of extra work, and I'll have to spend some time next Spring trying to get the (unnecessarily purchased) new tubing bent around so it looks more or less stock.
So, got the oil leak fixed and the brakes working at the start of September, just in time to give the grand-daughter a ride home from her first couple of days at a new school in Grade 7.
But next year!
 
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