Looking round the engine bay for leaks after I fitted the sump baffles, I noticed some oil on the bellypan some way from the engine. It turned out the hose supplying the remote oil pressure sender & oil light switch was perished. “Ah” I thought “that’s an 8mm hose that is”. I was just about to go in the house & order a new one when I thought I go about this the right way & measure the pipe first. So I slackened the clamp, pulled the hose back a little & measured to pipe with callipers – 6mm.
OK – Maybe I remembered it wrong.
I ordered 6mm hose.
When it arrived it looked far too small - & indeed it was – there was a kink in the pipe where I’d measured it.
I should’ve stopped, gone inside, ordered 8mm hose & put the car back together. Instead I thought “I could convert the fittings to 6mm if I could find some 6mm pipe”. Well what I found was 5mm pipe, but thought it’d be OK & modified the fittings by cutting off the 8mm tails & soldering in the 5mm pipe, I put the 6mm hose on did up the clamps (a lot) & started the engine.
Oil gushed from the sender end. I took it apart, cleaned it & re-soldered it, next time I started the engine it was fine.
The following day I wanted to take the fury to my dad’s, I set off, but after 8 miles or so (appropriately enough in Effingham), the oil light came on under acceleration & the oil pressure gauge dropped, I pulled into a petrol station, opened the bonnet & there was a pool of oil under the engine end of the hose. I bought another litre of oil (£12!!) from the garage tightened the engine end clamp & nursed the car home, keeping the revs as low as possible, even switching the engine off to roll down hill (having no power assistance on brakes or steering helps in these situations).
So now I’m waiting for the 6mm hose fittings to arrive so I can re-modify the system again & make the car serviceable again (sigh).
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