Aftermarket oil pres. gauge braided line

[subie_newbie]

I saw somewhere on here a week or so ago someone talking about using a braided SS line from the oil pump up into the engine bay for a oil pressure gauge when one is planning on using the vehicle off-road. Whomever you are, or if you know, where does one find such a line and how do you splice it into the flimsy plastic tubing that comes with a mechanical gauge? I'd like to avoid running $100 worth of stainless line to a $10 gauge

[daeron]

I think you were talking about generaldisorder... other than that I cant help you, but something might start showing up in the similar threads at the bottom of this page.. OR, in the "similar threads" at the bottom of THOSE pages...

 

you are definitely thinking of GD's setup though, if that helps. try looking through the Oil Pressure poll thread.

[GeneralDisorder]

I got a 36"... or maybe it was a 48" from summit racing for like $35. Came with the fittings, and it's specifically for oil, and other pressurized applications. I used a metric to NTP adaptor, and a right angle fitting to attach it to the pump housing.

 

Mine runs to an Autometer sender that I bracketed to the drivers side fender wall behind the battery, but you could use any brand of sender.

 

I did this to avoid the 3" long sender sticking down in front, and I used SS line to avoid any potential problems from snaging the line on a small branch or something that might get behind my skid plate (which is large and formidable). The silly plastic tubing they sell for mechanical guages is fine for street vehicles, but the cheap thin stuff they give you with the $7 walmart guage is both too weak (kinks easy, and the cheap fittings leak, and easily cut the tubing), and too short to be of use. I ended up buying a VDO 12 foot length of tubing for my wally guage in my sedan. You need about 7 to 8 feet of tubing depending on where you locate the guage, and the cheap package comes with like 5 feet.

 

Basically because of the subaru layout, and because of the metric to NTP adaptor needed to convert the sender threads, you are looking at around $35 - $40 minimum to install *any* guage. If you buy a cheap guage, invariably you will require better/longer tubing and fittings to make it work, so you might as well invest in a decent Autometer setup. I have a Volts/Temp/Oil 2.25" cluster in my wagon that was about $65. Then the SS line and adaptors was about another $45.... so $110, but I also got *reliable* temp and voltage - which was very important for my application.

 

Also - unless you stick with a brand name guage, or purely mechanical guages, replacement sending units may be difficult to find or expensive to purchase seperately. For this reason I choose to only buy quality brand name electric guages like Autometer or VDO.

 

 

GD