456 oil pressure sensor

Hi John,
This is a VDO unit with an M18-1.5 thread. Look around and you should find one for about 45 bucks. It's crucial that you get a new copper washer.
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About five years ago a VDO distributor in the UK cross referenced this for me as P/N 360 040, but I seem to recall talking to a US VDO distributor after that, and they couldn't find anything with that P/N.

If/when you talk with someone knowledgeable who sells VDO parts tell them it's a 10-180 ohm sensor, 150psi, with an M18x1.5 thread and see if they can find it in their parts listing. And if you do find it, please update this thread with the P/N?

And when you install this sensor, do not use any sealant on the threads, as it requires a good electrical contact with the engine block to work.

Lastly, consider purchasing one of these boots for the terminal end of the sensor, as the electrical connections tend to get crudded up, and it affects the sensor output:

https://www.ricambiamerica.com/135940-b-oil-pressure-sender-cover.html

It'll be one of the best $15 investments you can make for your car

p.s. As an alternative to the Ferrari sensor, what I've done on my car is to purchase a VDO sender with the same specs, except with a 1/8" NPT thread, and I remote mounted it up higher in the engine bay, just behind the RH headlight, with -4 AN fittings and SS braided Teflon hose. This required an adapter plate (2nd pic below) to be machined which replaced the cast sender mount fitting (Item 31 in the illustration below) that Ferrari used to mount this sender to the engine, but it resulted in a cleaner installation (3rd pic) (IMHO), and it eliminated the possibility of worn engine mounts causing the engine to drop and break off the oil sender. And where I've located the sender, it will not pick up any road debris or other crud that might contaminate the terminals and cause false readings on the oil pressure gauge (and resulting heart palpitations for the car owner )
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Be sure to get the sensor with the 'G' and 'WK' connections. One is for the pressure and the other is for the warning lights. Some sensors only come with the 'G'.

John,
I actually got the Prosport adapter and got the 1/8 NPT oil pressure sensor. This was something I saw in an old FxLfe post, I think you were the author. After mocking it up on the car, I decided the sensor hung down too far and could get broken off if you hit a really big bump. So now I'm installing the 575M motor mounts (my originals are sagging) and I'm thinking of Fabio's idea of making spacers for the roll bar mounts (need longer bolts, too).

Your OPS relocation idea is very keen. However, I don't have easy access to getting machining done. Also, Teflon tape is needed to ensure a good seal at 140 PSI when using 1/8 NPT. (Wiring relocation is also a problem.) How do you handle the ground connection? The only thing I thought of was using a metal cable clamp wrapped around the sensor with a screw hole in the tang.

 

That's exactly what I did Jim. I got a SS "loop clamp" from McMaster and mounted it to one of the studs that Ferrari welded onto the car frame. Good mechanical and electrical contact without having to depend on the threads for the electrical ground.

 

Am I to understand that you do not have spacers on your roll bar? I have them and they are rather large so I assumed they where default Ferrari.

 

Yes, there are factory spacers that are about 3 inches long. But with the sagging motor mounts, I have less than an inch of clearance left between the roll bar and the OPS. Last summer I had about 2 inches.

So new motor mounts will be arriving soon. While I'm in there, I'll be adding "shims" on the roll bar spacers for extra peace of mind.

 

Nice work John!