oil sending unit install problem

[voyager]

Just wanted to put out a warning to those considereing or have all ready installed an oil pressure sending unit. If you used a brass T, along with a brass nipple to allow the install of the original sending unit along with your new sending unit be warned!!! My nipple broke off right during the long pull up Grant's Pass on our way to the Rally in the Redwoods. I was watching my guage as it dropped from 65 psi slowly down to 25 psi before I decided to kill the engine and give myself enough time to pull over on the highway. Once stopped, I looked down and saw the whole assembly swinging by the wire and what was left of my oil leaking out the hole. Waited for the bike to cool down, then removed the broken piece of brass nipple that was still left in the crankcase by hammering in an allen key that bit into the brass. Turned the old piece out, then reassemble the gauge sending unit back into the crankcase, and left the OEM sending unit off, with the wire tied into place. Good thing Deb and I had brought along a jug of synthetic oil and filter for a door prize at the Rally dinner because with out that I really would have been screwed. Dumped the oil in, fired the engine up and saw 70 psi on my gauge with no knocking noises. :) All I could do at that time was continue on up and over the pass and if anything was going to fail it would most certainly would do it right away. Well, as it turned out the engine seems fine and I've put another 1000 miles on it since with no issues.

So, if you do have this set up at least swap over the brass fittings for steel, otherwise you could end up like me some day............or, just screw the gauge sender in and leave the idiot light sender out.

[VulcanE]

Appreciate the heads up, I'll have to keep an eye on mine. What length of nipple did you use to connect the "T" to the engine case? From my "T" to the engine case there's only about 1/8" of exposed nipple.

[ringadingh]

I used a Tee as well, but mine is quite short and I screwed it in almost all the way to the crankcase, Im going to give it a look though. Thanks for the heads up.