450 1/8 copper oil-pressure tube...

P and R Pete · Oct 8, 2012

...is leaking just behind the gas tank and dripping down, and here my FIL thought it was a hydraulic fluid leak.
Got a new line, and am about to put it in, but a maybe/maybe-not dumb question- does the line need to be primed with oil?
I sure hope not, which would make this 98% easier, but don"t want to miss a step.

Phil Tibbetts · Oct 8, 2012

No need to prime it

pete 23 · Oct 8, 2012

I always leave the end off at the gauge, start engine and run until oil come out of pipe, shut down and hook it up to gauge. Some seem to feel you should let the line be filled with air but I feel you get a quicker oil pressure reading with the line full of clean fresh oil. It is amazing how little oil will actually flow through that little pipe.

P and R Pete · Oct 8, 2012

What surprised me is that after I wrote my first question, I disconnected it slowly at the engine block, just wanting to see if oil was going to ooze from the block, finally being able to take it off altogether with no leakage at all, either from the block OR the tube. The oil that had made it up the tube to cause the leakage at the hole had all drained back down into the block.

If that is always true, there is no need to prime. If it drained because of the hole providing an air leak, then maybe it does.

I'll decide tomorrow when I'm doing it, I guess. The gauge-panel has to be off to connect to the gauge, but if the battery's connected in order to turn over the engine, I'll be risking short-circuits with the wires being 'live'. Maybe the gauge alone can be extended from the gauge-panel.

Daylight will tell. Right now, I have to get back to my still-warm-from-the-oven peach pie.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Owen Aaland · Oct 8, 2012

(quoted from post at 21:20:58 10/08/12) I always leave the end off at the gauge, start engine and run until oil come out of pipe, shut down and hook it up to gauge. Some seem to feel you should let the line be filled with air but I feel you get a quicker oil pressure reading with the line full of clean fresh oil. It is amazing how little oil will actually flow through that little pipe.

I'm in the camp of just having air in the line, not full of oil. If you are in cold climates the oil can be thick enough that the gauge will be very slow to respond if the line is filled with oil. The older tractors with larger lines don't have the same problem nearly as much.

mkirsch · Oct 9, 2012

It is amazing how little oil will actually flow through that little pipe.

Yeah, but it's amazing how much SMOKE it makes when dripping on a hot manifold!!!

Harold H · Oct 9, 2012

One suggestion, when replacing lines, use a steel brake line rather than copper tubing for oil pressure line or fuel lines. The copper will eventually harden and break whereas the steel line will last verturally forever.

Harold H

Dean Olson · Oct 9, 2012

No need to prime.

Go with a steel line. The PO of my 53 SH used a plastic line, it broke and his son ran it till it seized up.

My 54 SH had a copper line. It broke when I was operating. I heard the change in the tone of the motor, looked down to see "0" oil pressure and immediately shut it down. Replaced with a steel line, refilled with oil, and so far have no apparent damage.

P and R Pete · Oct 9, 2012

Too late. Got the copper line on today, fired it up, (the gauge works great, unprimed), and drove it to my FIL"s and back so he could see I"m making progress. I still have to make carb adjustments, since the carb was rebuilt by IH, and they set it up just to get it running.

Got to adjust the governor too. The engine remains at idle for 2/5 of the movement of the throttle.

450 1/8 copper oil-pressure tube...

P and R Pete

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Phil Tibbetts

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pete 23

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P and R Pete

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Owen Aaland

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mkirsch

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Harold H

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Dean Olson

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P and R Pete

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