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MG MGA - Flexible pipe to oil pressure gauge.

Just come indoors after a very scary incident with my Twin Cam! A failed flexible oil pressure pipe - driving back into the garage, noticed a thin line of oil back down the road and subsequent inspection revealed a high pressure thin stream of engine oil coming out of the steel brading around the rubber pipe feeding the oil pressure gauge. Having now checked some older postings it seems this is not so uncommon - perhaps time for an audible low pressure alarm in addition to the gauge! Luckily, the engine oil level had only dropped around a litre so must have caught it early. Phew!
Now to a replacement pipe. The old postings refer to various incorrect lengths on offer, type of solid or rotating end fittings, Teflon lined pipe, variable quality, etc. My failed pipe looks old style with solid end fittings and 310mm long.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a suitable, quality supplier for what is clearly a very important item to protect the engine from potentially serious damage? Brown & Gammons offer the correct part number AHH5820HQ - perhaps HQ means high quality? Or is it best to take the failed one to a local hydraulic pipe specialist firm and get it re-made?
Grateful your thoughts.
Bruce.
B Mayo

stevsonmotors1@aol.com pipes fit. Pirtek will make you one and pressure test but it will look "modern"
David k Brenchley

One problem with graded flexibles is that you can't actually see the inner deteriorating, until it starts leaking. That's only obvious of course if you are looking at it!! Same with brake flexibles.
Allan Reeling

Graded should read braided!! Predictive text, me not reading then not being able to edit, even though it said I should be able to!
Allan Reeling

Just a quick update and thanks for responses. For interest I thought I would visit a local hydraulics company in my hometown of Shoreham by Sea just to chat around the problem. In about three minutes flat he had made me a new pipe to the exact same length with crimped on fittings and ptfe lined pipe, good for virtually any liquid and high pressures, apparently. Not expensive either. Given that this company works on really serious hydraulic stuff, I feel comfortable with my little pipe and so it has been fitted and engine running. All ok again!
(Oh, did I omit the little bit about needing to drop the filter and remove the starter motor just to get at the engine block end of the flexible pipe. Always a great sense of achievement doing any little job on my Twin Cam!)
Bruce.
B Mayo

Bruce,
A set of short stubby spanner’s is the order of the day on our engines.

Regards
Colin
Colin Manley

You are sooo right Colin. I somehow managed to persuade it off, with ages of cursing and fiddling, but there was no way I could get the threads of the new pipe started with confidence of not being crossed. Hence the dismantling to get (only slightly) better access.
BTW Colin, after this scary potential engine wrecking incident, was it you or the other Colyn who posted recently about an audible low oil pressure alarm diy system? I am definitely going to make something similar - there is no way I would have caught eventual zero oil pressure from just occasional glances at the gauge. There are too many other things requiring attention on the road. And the repair of a blown-up Twin Cam engine doesn’t bear thinking about, cash-wise!
Bruce.
B Mayo

I think it was Graeme Williams from Kent who fitted an audible low oil pressure system to his MGA.

Sounds like a reasonable idea but I haven't done this to my car.
Maybe thats because I'm a bit gauge fixated and so I think I look at the temperature and oil pressure gauges almost as much as I look at the road!😁

Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

This thread was discussed between 11/03/2018 and 12/03/2018

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