Oil Pressure T-Piece

[VVT-i]

I was quite a lucky sod yesterday... whilst driving along listening to "my tunez" (thats me being cool btw  s:) s:) ) I heard a funny noise.. it was like a stone stuck in the read of a tyre.. tic tic tic tic tic... I turned my "Tunez" down and listened more closely... again I thought the same thing, I lifted off the fast pedal and the noise went away.. I pressed the fast pedal down and it stayed away... I sat at a steady speed (30mph as in a built up area) and tic tic tic tic tic. So I was slowing down getting ready to stop and my oil pressure gauge was reading 0psi.

I thought "OH! S***T".... I pulled out the dipstick and sure enough.. nothing!   s:o s:o    luckily I had Oil in the car.. so I topped it up hopeing I would have enough to get me to the garage but as soon as I started the car it came out as quick as it went in leaving a huge puddle on the road. Good job I have breakdown cover through my insurance, I called the tow truck who transported the car up to my work for the mechanics to have a look at. I wasn't pleased with what they found.

Part of the mounting hardware for the oil pressure sender had completely snapped, the T-Piece...


Looks like this.

...This is the 2nd time I've had a problem with the way in which this was put together, the first time the Union adapter into the block snapped. At first I put it down to bad luck with a faulty adapter or that it may have been over tightened and fractured, but I now feel that the full assembly shouldn't have been put together the way it was... Union adapter into block - t-piece - another adapter - t-piece - pressure sender and switch. On the first t-piece and the 90 degree is the oil feed line... I now feel that this assembly is too long and possibly hitting the firewall causing it to break or the vibration combined with the weight of the assembly is causing it to break.

So having found the fault I popped along to a local hydraulic shop and bought some parts that I needed to change the assemble and how it is mounted, the only thing I couldn't get was the t-piece (as pictured above) that fits into the pressure sensor and the switch but did mange to get it on with enough threads to get the car topped up with oil and started. This is where I became a lucky sod... the engine sounds normal, I think I must have heard the hydraulic tappits tapping away as there was no pressure for oil to get to them.. so fingers crossed.

As for this t-piece, I have found this on Ebay...

 m http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OIL-PRESSURE-GAUG ... 0067019527 m

are these things all the same.. all I know is that my size is 1/8 and the pressure sensor states something like 1/8 27npt?

[aaronjb]

I hate to be the one to say this, but we don't have hydraulic tappets - we have solid lifters, no oil necessary (well, not to pump them up like hydraulic tappets), which means the ticking you heard was.. well, something more serious.

As for the sizes, I believe it's 1/8NPT but, do yourself a favour and ditch the T-piece setup and use a sandwich plate, then put the stock oil pressure switch back into the block where it belongs and remote-mount your 3rd party oil pressure gauge from the sandwich plate (so it's sandwich plate -> braided hose -> sender, with the sender mounted to the firewall).

[Tem]

ditch the T-piece

+1

They always tend to create issues. Sooner or later.  s:( s:(

[VVT-i]

I now have the sender mounted to the firewall - t piece with switch - hydraulic hose (3,000 psi) - t piece (turbo feed entering here) - Union - block.. which is taking the weight off the mount and should hold ok.

As for the noise.. hmmm.. I didn't know the tappets weren't hydraulic so will need to keep an eye on things, like I said the noise has gone (sounded NOTHING like the noise on  l viewtopic.php?f=11&t=21715 l ) but has completely gone and it wasn't noisy for very long.

Will look into the sandwich plate, I'm sitting here trying to picture how it would work.. I have the sender and switch attached to a t-piece like in the picture above at the moment which has been mounted to the firewall, then there is the hose which goes to another t-piece and into the block... from this t-piece an the oil feed line. Am I right in thinking that I would remove the switch from the 1st t-piece and locate it into one of the holes in the plate and would then have the sender on the other hole in the plate? I would still need a t-piece to mount the oil feed with either the sender or the switch.. the sender most likely?... or am I too stressed out and not thinking properly?

[aaronjb]

Well.. you certainly managed to confuse me with that description  s;) s;)

Here is what I bought:


It has four 1/8NPT holes, I'm using three - one goes direct to the turbo via a hose, one has an oil temperature switch installed in it (it's light, so it's screwed straight in) and the other goes to the oil pressure sender, the fourth hole has a blanking bung in it.  The stock idiot-light switch then goes back in it's normal home in the block.

Easy  s;) s;)

In fact, this is the seller I bought from

[evileye_wrx]

Well.. you certainly managed to confuse me with that description  s;) s;)

Here is what I bought:


It has four 1/8NPT holes, I'm using three - one goes direct to the turbo via a hose, one has an oil temperature switch installed in it (it's light, so it's screwed straight in) and the other goes to the oil pressure sender, the fourth hole has a blanking bung in it.  The stock idiot-light switch then goes back in it's normal home in the block.

Easy  s;) s;)

In fact, this is the seller I bought from

I have the same, or similar, bought from here  m http://prosportgauges.com/oil-filter-adaptor-plate.aspx m  I seem to remember Ste was quite impressed when fitting it.

Phil

[VVT-i]

Having though about this a little.. I can see the benefits of the plate... why it wasn't done this way at first I don't know... but looking at what I will achieve from it at the moment I think I will get the same results with simple mounting the sender and switch to the firewall useing the hose to connect it up to the oil feed and block (via a small t-piece).

 The whole assembly I had was very close to the little bracket the holds the clutch line and I mean very close.. millimeters close. I can only think that it was hitting against it and over time causing it to break. The weight issue would also be solved as the sender is the heaviest part which is now on the firewall, and with just a t-piece and an oil feed line on the block it should be ok.

I'm not dismissing any of your thoughts.. it is just getting hold of simple parts where I live is a complete PITA.. no-one does them.. even Pirtek don't stock stuff... I can imagine the problems I would have trying to get hold of a bung to blank of the extra hole in the plate (unless it comes with the plate which it might do going by Phills picture) I had problems today getting the ruddy hose.. never mind any fittings .. it wouldn't be as easy as it should be. I think for now I will go with the setup with the hose... and see how it goes, but this info is much appreciated and could be invaluable in future.

If there are any other thoughts.. keep em coming.

[markiii]

I'd guess it was done that way for cost

C" and Hass turbos do teh same, everyone I;ve fitted I've insisted we use a sandwhich plate and ditch teh t piece for that very reason

[VVT-i]

If it was done for cost reasons then it seems to me to be TOTAL STUPIDITY or just never thought through properly , I have spent in excess of 7K on parts and labour.. I wouldn't think the costs of a sandwich plate shouldn't  have been a concern.

[spit]

I can imagine the problems I would have trying to get hold of a bung to blank of the extra hole in the plate (unless it comes with the plate which it might do going by Phills picture)

Yes the plates come with a full set of blanking plugs. Just take one out each time you need to add something  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[markiii]

If it was done for cost reasons then it seems to me to be TOTAL STUPIDITY or just never thought through properly , I have spent in excess of 7K on parts and labour.. I wouldn't think the costs of a sandwich plate shouldn't  have been a concern.

agreed  I've said it on every kit I've installed

[damonlaw88]

Call Envy Performance.
Thats where i got my sandwich plate from. It was £40
Just tell them its for a mr2 roadster and they'll do the rest.

[VVT-i]

Ok.. I'm  finally getting round to fitting a sandwich plate (didn't take long did it lol) but I want to make sure that I get the right one. I need one with at least 2x 1/8 npt fittings.

As far as I know I think I need the type with a 3/4*16 UNF Centre Bolt... is that correct?

Envy performance have been mentioned but I can't get on the site for some reason (been that way for quite some time for me) so does anyone know of any other supplier in the UK who would have one in stock... or any links, I might also add an oil cooler in the future so perhaps one with a thermostat, I would require the plate to come with bungs for the connections untill I fit a cooler though.

[roger]

Davy

I've got a Greddy sandwich plate lurking in the garage that Mark used when he installed my turbo. When I got the oil cooler 1 of the 3 had to go!

One of the blanking screws  is missing, but as long as you use that exit that will be OK. No idea of the sizes, though somebody might say, it has 2 exits on the flat and one on the side (on the round). I'm happy to post it up to you, and if it fits, say £25? I know it was easily around £60 - £70 when I bought it. If it doesn't just send it back. If you want Special Delivery for quick insured post that would be extra, otherwise it will come up "cheapy" post.

[VVT-i]

You have a PM Roger.