Removing Tight Oil Pressure Sender, Any Tricks? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Removing Tight Oil Pressure Sender, Any Tricks?

Discussion in '308/328' started by 308Dadoo, Oct 14, 2021.

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  1. 308Dadoo

    308Dadoo Formula Junior
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    May 29, 2010
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    Thats what ive been doing all morning. Ive been using Gibbs which ive had for awhile. Recommended by a friend. Packed the area with alu foil to keep heat off of nearby wiring and other components

    have a slightly longer wrench coming monday or tuesday that'll give me smidge more leverage
     
  2. 308 milano

    308 milano F1 Veteran

    Jan 15, 2007
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    Man, it’s always something isn’t it?
    And from my experience, usually not good. :)
     
  3. 308Dadoo

    308Dadoo Formula Junior
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    Got that right! I cant believe it. It must have locktite on it as it absolutely will not move.

    contemplating removing deck lid to get access straight on top of oil filter base nut that is next to the coolant line and removing the whole unit. I would be hoping that the tube will just move over enough to allow a socket to fit over the 13 mm nut.
     
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  4. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    I would take the filter base off the block and deal with that afterwards.
     
    waymar likes this.
  5. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
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    Forgive the repeat but are you SURE the sender is at fault? :oops: I'm concerned you are now fixated on removing that sender just BECAUSE it is so recalcitrant. :mad:

    Sometimes the best maintenance procedures is to leave things alone! ;)
     
  6. Portofino

    Portofino Formula Junior

    Sep 17, 2011
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    Got everyone worried now .As a prophylactic measure I went out last night and sprayed WD 40 around mine .
    Just to soak through , start the de corrosion of the dissimilar metals , if that’s what eventually occurs ?
    I have it on a invoice showing it was changed in 2016 from a Ferrari franchise.

    This may or may not be helpful I do occasionally find after 20 mins or so out on a run the oil temp gauge not moving , a few finger taps on the glass and it springs into life .

    How ever the pressure gauge always kick in after a start up .High ish to begin with then drops when it’s hot or tickover .
    The water temp gradually moves across as it should as well .

    Post some pics of the state of play ps .
     
  7. Lawrence Coppari

    Lawrence Coppari Formula 3

    Apr 29, 2002
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    Thermal expansion of aluminum is double that of carbon steel. Like Fatbillybob wrote, heat the aluminum, apply some lubricant, try again.
     
  8. morcal

    morcal Formula Junior
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    Mar 7, 2003
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    Weak point of the oil pressure sensor is the wire connection on the cover. It may get erratic over time; have fixed mine lately with a spot of epoxy stuff. As advised, check the integrity of the wire connection ( even if the wire jacket seems to be fine) prior of removing the sensor
     
  9. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    David did you try to ground the wire that connects to the oil pressure sender and see if the pressure gauge goes to the max? If it does then that tell you your gauge is good and the sender is bad.
     
    thorn likes this.
  10. 308Dadoo

    308Dadoo Formula Junior
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    I was wondering the same. If I understand the test correctly, you unplug the connector and ground out the connector with the ignition on to see if the oil pressure gauge needle moves or not.
    I thought if the gauge stays at zero when you do this its good? Mine has stayed at zero but i initially wanted to remove it to clean up under snd around it as its pretty grimy and dirty all around it. Now Im upset its that tight and not something i want to deal with as i get older snd less able to fix it.
     
  11. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    I forgot to mention when you ground the wire, make sure the ignition switch is turn on.
     
  12. kcabpilot

    kcabpilot Formula 3

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    The only option to getting old is to die young. You are old but you've got a Ferrari for cripes sakes. Be happy d;-) :)
     
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  13. tuttebenne

    tuttebenne F1 Rookie

    Mar 26, 2003
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    Not sure which version of 308 you have but on carb cars the coolant pipe is held in place by a P clamp to the intake manifold. If you have one on your car and you remove it you might get the coolant pipe to move enough to improve access.
     
  14. Jdubbya

    Jdubbya The $10 Trillion Man
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    I think I remember using a crow's foot on mine to get it off. If fit better and you had better torque. But I do remember it still being a pain. PB blaster is what I've come to use over the years, seems to work much better than WD-40.
     
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  15. tuttebenne

    tuttebenne F1 Rookie

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    Agreed. WD-40 is old technology, leaves behind a sticky residue, and doesn't work as well.
     
  16. 308Dadoo

    308Dadoo Formula Junior
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    Talked with Tuason yesterday and I decided that i'll probably end up removing the rear lid to be able to get a straight on top approach to the oil filter mount housing nuts. I think that i can't move the coolant pipe slightly over and get to the nut to remove it. Thats the only one that seems to present a problem removing. I'll just remove the housing, have easy, proper access to the sender to remove it without collateral damage. I'll also take the time to clean up the area before I reinstall.
    Better to just do it right.
     
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  17. tuttebenne

    tuttebenne F1 Rookie

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    Not sure why this is so hard. Removing the lid is waaaaaay more risky, difficult, and potentially disappointing than draining a gallon of coolant, removing the pipe and replacing two 40mm hoses. A buddy of mine (and member here) did this very same job and the lid never came off. In the next two weeks I'll be doing this job on my '77 and I guarantee the lid ain't coming off then either.
     
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  18. Lawrence Coppari

    Lawrence Coppari Formula 3

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    Removing the lid can be tricky and scratching vehicle can happen. I have a light block and tackle setup and strap system to remove mine. Also getting the thing lined up properly during reinstallation so it looks correct can be troublesome. Drilling two small holes in each bracket near the bolts prior to loosening bolts guarantees same alignment during reassembly. Reinsert the drill bits during reinstallation.
     
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  19. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    Removing lid = last resort.
     
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  20. Nuvolari

    Nuvolari F1 Veteran
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    Removing the lid is no big deal at all. I do it for most under hood repairs and it takes me and a helper much less than 5 minutes to do it.

    As for the oil pressure sender I found the easiest thing to do is to remove the oil filter housing from the block. I have a whole collection of funky wrenches and on my car I was not able to get a wrench on it and be able to turn the sender correctly. Removing the housing are three easy to reach nuts but you do want to make sure you have a new gasket before taking the assembly apart.
     
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  21. kcabpilot

    kcabpilot Formula 3

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    Removing the lid for the 5th or 6th time may not be such a big deal but doing it the first time is going to be somewhat riskier because there is a bit of a learning curve and the sucker is heavy.

    Do you already have a new sensor unit? As I said earlier, the 'nut' on the bottom is not really a nut, it is an integral part of the base casting. So if you are not concerned about the destruction of the original unit you can use a large pair of Channellock's to get a good purchase on the base which will give you a much better lever arm. I'm pretty certain enough of an advantage to break it free. Also, if you remove the filter housing you are still going to be faced with the challenge of securing it somehow (without damaging it) so you can put the leverage needed on the sensor. It's not going to be easy to clamp it in a vise. And finally, you're going to have to scrape the old gasket off the block. I once lost an entire Saturday I'll never get back doing that.

    Well, one more thing and I'm not implying that you're an idiot, just saying this because I've done it myself once or twice - are you sure you're turning it the right way? o_O

    Here's a picture of the bottom of a sensor. The 'nut' is actually a part of the base.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  22. 308Dadoo

    308Dadoo Formula Junior
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    Not my first Rodeo......
     
  23. Lawrence Coppari

    Lawrence Coppari Formula 3

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    Have you tried using a helper? One person uses channel locks on the sender body while the other uses a wrench on the integral nut doubling the torque. These fittings have a way of suddenly coming loose so it's easy to injure oneself.

    I'm surprised heating did not loosen it.

    As a last resort you could cut the body off and use a socket and impact wrench.
     
  24. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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  25. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    How many times do we have to say this?
     

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