Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi all,

I have a simple question .. I want to replace the oil pressure plastic pipe from engine to oil pressure gauge because I do not trust the clear plastic tube and if it breaks I could get stuck away from home.. Is there a good replacement for that somewhere or make one?

Thanks as always for your wealth of information,

Regards,
Lou

From http://www.rdent.com:

Oil Gauge Pipe

Stainless steel braided hose replaces the original plastic tubing that connects the block to the oil pressure gauge. All metal ends with elbow fitting for engine block and straight fitting for gauge. Four-foot length fits all Elans.

Ref. 26N0003-AQ $59.00

Most of the suppliers, do something similar.

I had to do this recently, due to pipe failure when removing engine. Couple of possible useful bits of info

It's a 4ft braided hose with an(3?) ends and a female bsp adapter one end, ntfp pipe fitting the other. You could probably buy the parts for less if you hunt round to find them, but by time you've spent the time and shipping you won't have saved much.

The hose is longer than needed so will need to be bundled in the dash which is a little tricky.

The oil take off on the block could be 1/8 or 1/4", so check before ordering. Dave bean sent me the 1/8 version and my car of course had the 1/4 take off. This was solved with a $2 converter from a hardware store. How ever that has left the oil line touching the heater hose, they should have been sending me a new end but haven't received it yet (haven't chased either).

BSP isn't a sealing thread so you'll need some plumbers tape on the gauge end to prevent leaks.

I recently purchased a replica for my Plus2 from Merlin Motorsports. It is heavy gauge black plastic though. Made to fit Smiths gauges, no mods required.

Just out of interest, has anybody on the forum ever suffered a plastic oil pipe failure whilst on the move?

I use this stuff - just like original:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5FT-OIL-PRESS ... SwA3dYUq9r

Never had a problem with the original pipe except where its stretched over the nipple on the block fitting. It can become hard and brittle there after 30-40 years of engine heat. Sometimes it can crack when you try to remove it but never had a problem on road.

Thank you all for your responses and information.. Its interesting the question about it failing on the road... if it does not usually fail then I will get one and just keep it to put on the future...

Regards ,
Lou

Mazzini wrote:Just out of interest, has anybody on the forum ever suffered a plastic oil pipe failure whilst on the move?

Hi Rob, Mine never failed, but I replaced the line because I thought that just a few drips of burning fuel could melt it.
Or it might wear through someplace where it's not normally seen, like behind the dash. Once I got it out it looked okay though.

I used the braided line from RD on my LHD car. It was kind of a pain routing it through the combustible "firewall" and then to the left side of the dash around lots of wiring and other stuff. RHD cars must be a lot easier.

Bob

Hi Bob,

So I purchased one from RD and will have it shortly and then decide if i should put it in now or in our long winters...

Regards,
Lou

Mine was weeping from a spot that looked like the plastic tube had been damaged. The leak was directly above my pant leg. I installed the kit from RD. No issues since.

Lou,

The line from RD fit, but I remember wondering if it was long enough. I had to take the straightest route behind the dash so it could be screwed onto the oil pressure gauge. I started by attaching it to the engine block. Starting at the gauge might be better. I'm not sure. Good luck.

Bob

Bob and all who answered me..
Thank you for the best route to get it in. I will check it out..Yea RD has a wealth of knowledge on what they sell.. To me they are the best place to shop.. Ray built a Lotus Elan not long ago..

Regards all,
Lou

I have always considered it bad form to have high pressure, hot, flammable oil piped into the passenger compartment - particularly if it is in a thin nylon tube draped over your legs. Using a braded line seems a good start, and I have seen (but can't now find) a mechanical device that has oil pressure on one side and via a piston applies the same pressure to an inert fluid for the pipe run into the passenger compartment.

Andy8421 wrote:I have always considered it bad form to have high pressure, hot, flammable oil piped into the passenger compartment - particularly if it is in a thin nylon tube draped over your legs. Using a braded line seems a good start, and I have seen (but can't now find) a mechanical device that has oil pressure on one side and via a piston applies the same pressure to an inert fluid for the pipe run into the passenger compartment.

Hello Andy,
The device you speak of is called a "gauge isolator". Most devices use a thin stainless diaphragm to transfer the pressure signal. The gauge, tube and isolator are assembled, a vacuum is pulled through a fitting, then filled with glycerin or silicone oil. Risk is very low using braided stainless line. An electric gauge and sender is also a safe alternative.

For illustration purposes,no endorsement:
http://www.jegs.com/p/Auto-Meter/Auto-Meter-High-Pressure-Gauge-Isolator/751840/10002/-1

I really don't understand why a braided hose is significantly better than a Nylon hose in this application. The only real advantage of the braided hose is the added resistance against chafing provided by the braid (assuming the rubber hose within is of adequate pressure rating). In fact behind the braid you probably have a rubber hose inferior to the original Nylon. If the rubber hose underneath the braid springs a leak it's still going to pi** out everywhere through the gaps in the braid anyway. Bling without purpose in my opinion.

Understand the benefits of the isolator however. That makes sense for added safety.