Trying to connect an oil pressure gauge in my hot rod. I can't get the little cone shaped compression fitting back onto the tubing, seems the hole in the fitting and the o.d. of the tubing are about the same size. I know they'll fit though, because the gauge was connected when I bought the car. The only thing I can think of is heating the tubing in hot water to soften it, I'll try it when I get a chance to get back out there. Thanks for any help or advice.
Using that nylon junk, I assume? Cut it at a sharp angle with a razor knife..Shove it through...Cut it square again. (with a new ferrule, of course)
Have you ever had hot oil spray from under the dash and ruin your carpet in the middle of the interstate at 5pm rush hour traffic ? Then you will probably not go back with nylon line for your gauge. Just saying. That stuff gets old and brittle and at least buy a new line kit. With new fittings and new nylon line. I won't install that stuff on my cars ever again.
That's a great idea! If it's copper, you might also try sharpening it like a pencil with some sandpaper or a tiny file (like a points file. In a pinch, I've used a concrete sidewalk.) I don't know if you can "sharpen" the soft, flexible hoses or not. Cutting at an angle seems faster/better there. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The ferrule is crimped down to bite into the tube a bit when it is tightened between the nut and the socket on gauge. It is done. New ferrule time.
Use copper line for this application, new ferral. When useing plastic line in a compression fitting there is a small piece of brass that goes inside the plastic line and the ferral on the outside
Ferrels are not reusable. Get the tube in the freezer or on ice Warm up the Ferrell It will go right on Don't forget to put the nut on
Ferrells are use one time and dispose . I can't believe you it off the tube to try to reuse it . Best advice you have been given is to trash the nylon buy a new installation kit for the gauge with copper tube , it will contain everything needed and will out last most of us on this site ! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
When not having any of those new ferrules on hand, I have reused those ferrules by tapping the tapered end of a center punch in both ends enough to open them back up to slide over the tube again.
Thanks for all the advice. I had no idea ferrules were not reusable, so I took it off because the tubing was rolled up under the dash, and I wanted to cut it to its proper length. Never occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to get it back on. Anyway, I bought a kit with copper tubing, ferrules, nuts, etcetera at Autozone for $15. I was surprised they had it in stock. A new ferrule alone would probably have been $0.15, but who carries those by themselves? Besides, replacing the nylon with copper is an excellent idea. Many years ago I installed an oil pressure gauge and over tightened the nut where the nylon tube entered the engine, and after a week or two the tube broke, allowing oil to leak and destroying the slant six engine. It was just an old beater '66 Dodge van, but it was pretty cool and I liked it a lot. It was also my only transportation at the time. Anyone notice the irony in this? I installed the gauge to make sure the oil pressure was good, and destroyed the engine due to lack of oil pressure because of my doing so. *sigh*
Use a braided Teflon -4 hose use a bulkhead fitting when going thur the firewall or ANY sheet metal then another hose from the inside of the bulkhead fitting to a -4 N adapter on the gage (I assume its a mechanical gage)
Make sure you put a loop or two in the copper line at the sender. It helps keep it from work hardening from vibration and breaking. Also make sure to run it through a grommet through the firewall. If looks aren't important, I have ran it through a small piece of fuel hose if I didn't have a grommet.
Funny thing is I've never had a plastic line fail in 40 years of using them and I usually just thread the thing back on again. Now Iv'e heard of tall tails of somebody getting sprayed with burning hot oil but never actually spoken to somebody where that has had one fail. Unless it's assembled wrong or resting against a header tube or something I don't see the worry in using them. Maybe I'm just lucky.
I just had one go bad on my van on a road trip it was a tempter install 10 years ago it chafed a pin hole in it on top of on the motor only reason I didn't smoke the motor is the gas station attendant in Oregon didn't top up the gas tank (you cant pump your own gas in Oregon) so we stooped early and thee was no oil on the dip stick but still had good oil perisher
X2 on wat geoford said.....braided is the right way, copper is good, cheap way. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I tried this just to see if it would work, and it did, amazingly well. Cut it with needle nose pliers and the ferrule easily fit over it on the first try. I'm not going to reuse the nylon tubing or the old ferrule now, since I already bought the copper kit, but it's good info to have bouncing around in my brain for future use.
At least if copper breaks you can kink it over pinch it flat and keep driving. Try that with a nylon tube. The line that broke in my car had been installed for 2 years and just failed right behind the ferrule.
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