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Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2585472
12/01/18 12:23 AM
12/01/18 12:23 AM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 25,050
Texas
GoodysGotaCuda Offline
5.7L Hemi, 6spd
GoodysGotaCuda  Offline
5.7L Hemi, 6spd

Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 25,050
Texas
I only use a mechanical for ease of setup when priming a new engine or something. My Hemi runs solely off electronic sensors, good enough for me.

20171118-untitled shoot-016.jpg

1972 Barracuda - 5.7L Hemi, T56 Magnum 6spd - https://www.facebook.com/GoodysGotaHemi
2020 RAM 1500
[img]https://i.imgur.com/v9yezP9.jpg[/img]
Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2585489
12/01/18 01:05 AM
12/01/18 01:05 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,486
Freeport IL USA
poorboy Offline
I Live Here
poorboy  Offline
I Live Here

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,486
Freeport IL USA
I've lost more then 2 mechanical oil pressure gauge lines before. One was plastic, the other one was copper. I still have a mechanical OP gauge to put on stuff that came with just the lights to see what the pressure is.

The new gauges I bought for my truck are full electrical Speed Hut Gauges www.speedhut.com and they came with the gauge, the sending unit, and the wires to the sending unit. Their gauges are made to order in the USA, it takes about a month after you order before you get them. Not cheap, but nice stuff. Gene

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2585503
12/01/18 01:35 AM
12/01/18 01:35 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,788
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Magnum Offline
master
Magnum  Offline
master

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Posts: 5,788
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
I totally agree with the popular response, electric.

Running engine oil into the passenger compartment is not a good idea, we don't do it with fuel, no need to do it with pressurized engine oil.

Roadrunner's question from the original post. "Is it fast enough?" While this is a valid question and the nod does go to mechanical but why is that important. If an electric oil pressure gauge needle is not as responsive as a mechanical vacuum gauge is it any better or worse? I do not feel that an oil pressure gauge that has a dampened needle action is any less of a gauge.


69 Super Bee, 93 Mustang LX, 04 Allure Super
Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2585521
12/01/18 02:23 AM
12/01/18 02:23 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 30,947
Oregon
A
AndyF Offline
I Win
AndyF  Offline
I Win
A

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 30,947
Oregon
I'm in the process of taking the gauges out of my car. I switched to EFI and the sensors plug into the EFI computer. So I can get all the data on the screen and I can data log it. I'll have a big pile of Autometer guages to put up for sale in the future.........

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2585611
12/01/18 12:49 PM
12/01/18 12:49 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
DaytonaTurbo Offline
Too Many Posts
DaytonaTurbo  Offline
Too Many Posts

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Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
The electric gauges used to be inferior, however modern ones are as good as mechanicals IMO. I have had the mechanical oil pressure gauge leak. Fortunately I had it mounted to my steering column so the oil puddle dripped down onto my floor mat. If I had it mounted in my dash that mess would have been a nightmare.

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2585672
12/01/18 03:01 PM
12/01/18 03:01 PM
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,193
NEW JERSEY
AARCONV Offline
master
AARCONV  Offline
master

Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,193
NEW JERSEY
Mechanical, but use a copper line, not the supplied plastic one for sure

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2585685
12/01/18 03:37 PM
12/01/18 03:37 PM
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,220
West Plains, MO
DrCharles Offline
master
DrCharles  Offline
master

Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,220
West Plains, MO
I've always preferred mechanical gauges for the simple reason that they have a 270 degree sweep (the Auto Meter ones I like, anyway) whereas the electrical ones have a smaller arc. Some as low as 90 degrees. The bigger scale can be read more quickly and accurately.

And for slowly and frequently changing data like a speedo, tach or oil pressure, I've always preferred an analog (needle) to a digital gauge. Those constantly changing, blinking numbers would drive me nuts. Picked up that habit on the workbench (got my BSEE 37 years ago).

Never had an oil gauge line leak, but then I haven't built as many cars as a lot of people here. Either use the soft copper 1/8" line, or spring for a 3AN Teflon line and never worry about it again. twocents

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: DrCharles] #2585698
12/01/18 03:55 PM
12/01/18 03:55 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,543
chicagoland,usa
B
buildanother Offline
I Live Here
buildanother  Offline
I Live Here
B

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,543
chicagoland,usa
Either one for me. I have a 500" bb in a volare now, and upgraded the hose to aftermarket dash gauge with braided hose and AN fittings. Not dripping on my feet yet. I had a 68 impala super sport many moons ago, and it had a factory copper line to dash. So mostly, worst issue with electric gauge is wrong sender getting mixed into project vehicles.

Last edited by buildanother; 12/01/18 03:58 PM.
Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2585700
12/01/18 03:58 PM
12/01/18 03:58 PM
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889
up yours
Supercuda Offline
About to go away
Supercuda  Offline
About to go away

Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889
up yours
Modern electrical gauges have a 270 degree sweep, or better.

Autometer has more than 300 different electrical guages that have 270 degrees of sweep, or more.

Old Chestnut


They say there are no such thing as a stupid question.
They say there is always the exception that proves the rule.
Don't be the exception.
Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: Supercuda] #2586088
12/02/18 01:36 PM
12/02/18 01:36 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,239
north of coder
moparx Offline
"Butt Crack Bob"
moparx  Offline
"Butt Crack Bob"

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Posts: 19,239
north of coder
as for oil pressure lines, i have used tiny hydraulic hoses. way better than that crappy plastic line [which, in my opinion, is good only for vacuum use] and way cheaper than braided an hose. the drawback to this is weight and possible routing issues.
beer

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2586173
12/02/18 03:53 PM
12/02/18 03:53 PM
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 10,938
Spokane Valley, WA
Big Bad Bee Offline
I Live Here
Big Bad Bee  Offline
I Live Here

Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 10,938
Spokane Valley, WA
I’ve yet to hear of an Autometer electronic oil gage dying or anyone losing their engine because of a failure. I ditched the 50 year old aftermarket technology.


I’m listening.
Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2586496
12/03/18 10:24 AM
12/03/18 10:24 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,756
London, England
Gavin Offline
top fuel
Gavin  Offline
top fuel

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,756
London, England
I'm not going to argue with someone who has a preference for a mechanical gauge, but if you want a factual reason to use one, none of those raised hold water. Again, there is absolutely no inherent issue with accuracy or responsiveness with electrical (got a tach in you daily driver? responsive enough? ...it's electrical).

Anecdotal evidence is just that and runs both ways, I'm sure we can find examples of people who died at a ripe old age after smoking 20 a day all their life, that has zero bearing on the facts that smoking is bad for you! Similarly, just because someone found a faulty electrical gauge, al that proves is their electrical gauge was faulty. same would apply to a faulty mech gauge.

If we were splitting hairs it wouldn't surprise me if mech gauges were actually less repeatable over a lifetime, but it's a moot point either way - both technologies are more than accurate, repeatable, responsive, reliable enough for what we need. Choose your poison, just don't do it for the wrong reason.

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2591673
12/14/18 05:01 AM
12/14/18 05:01 AM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 339
Gilroy,CA.
mopardude318 Offline
enthusiast
mopardude318  Offline
enthusiast

Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 339
Gilroy,CA.
I like and will continue to use mechanical gauges.


408 Stroker 533 HP 520 FT LBS...........................1970 Dart RMS AlterKation
Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: mopardude318] #2591855
12/14/18 02:35 PM
12/14/18 02:35 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,376
D
dogdays Offline
I Live Here
dogdays  Offline
I Live Here
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Posts: 16,376
Really? Do you run a cable-driven tach? Does your water temperature gauge have a long capillary tube to a bulb in the water outlet? And, how DOES a mechanical ammeter or voltmeter work? Where is your gas tank mounted so you can see the amount of float rod sticking out of the tank?

The only really mechanical gauges in most cars are the speedometers, and in newer cars they are electronic as well.

I once owned a car that had had a mechanical oil pressure gauge installed and yes, it dripped hot engine oil on my feet.
Mechanical pressure gauges are just as likely to be inaccurate as electronic gauges. Maybe even more. Take a pressure spike that exceeds the limits of the gauge. The Bourdon tube in a mechanical gauge may become permanently deformed and require, at a minimum, recalibration. The electronic gauge sender bottoms out and sends a big voltage to the meter, which hits the top limit and then comes back to normal, usually with nothing more than a bent needle on the gage, and they are rare.

I'm a mechanical engineer by training and philosophy, and I like mechanical things. But I will freely admit that there are some things that are just done better using electricity.

R.

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: RoadRunner] #2592034
12/14/18 08:24 PM
12/14/18 08:24 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 339
Gilroy,CA.
mopardude318 Offline
enthusiast
mopardude318  Offline
enthusiast

Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 339
Gilroy,CA.
That's cool. I'm glad we have options and live in a GREAT country where we can CHOOSE!

🍻 🍻 🍻


408 Stroker 533 HP 520 FT LBS...........................1970 Dart RMS AlterKation
Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: mopardude318] #2592328
12/15/18 02:23 PM
12/15/18 02:23 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,239
north of coder
moparx Offline
"Butt Crack Bob"
moparx  Offline
"Butt Crack Bob"

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,239
north of coder
in the past, my preference for mechanical gauges was the 270 or so degree sweep action, while the electric's, at the time, were limited to 90 degrees or slightly less.
today, if i were buying a new set, i would more than likely, choose electric. lots to choose from in almost any font you desire [and then some], and are as accurate as can be, especially the ones that use stepper motors in their guts.
i also like electrics as you can use a single gauge to monitor more than one item, such as using a temperature gauge to monitor two [or more] places by simply toggling a switch.
beer

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: moparx] #2592372
12/15/18 03:14 PM
12/15/18 03:14 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
DaytonaTurbo Offline
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
Originally Posted By moparx
as for oil pressure lines, i have used tiny hydraulic hoses. way better than that crappy plastic line [which, in my opinion, is good only for vacuum use] and way cheaper than braided an hose. the drawback to this is weight and possible routing issues.
beer


How do you hook up a hydraulic or braided line to a generic oil pressure gauge that only has a fitting on the back for the nylon hose compression fitting cap? I have owned other mechanical gauges that have a different fitting, but it seems most only have the fitting for the nylon line.

Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: DaytonaTurbo] #2592375
12/15/18 03:19 PM
12/15/18 03:19 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,886
Lost and Spaced
B
bboogieart Offline
master
bboogieart  Offline
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Posts: 3,886
Lost and Spaced
I have been using the oil gauges with that small plastic line since the mid '70s and never had an issue.
Even one in a truck I've had for a few decades now and still use, with no leaks...
shruggy


I have mechanical Aptitude.
I can screw up anything.
Re: Oil Pressure Gauge - Elect or Mec [Re: DaytonaTurbo] #2592724
12/16/18 01:15 PM
12/16/18 01:15 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,239
north of coder
moparx Offline
"Butt Crack Bob"
moparx  Offline
"Butt Crack Bob"

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,239
north of coder
Originally Posted By DaytonaTurbo
Originally Posted By moparx
as for oil pressure lines, i have used tiny hydraulic hoses. way better than that crappy plastic line [which, in my opinion, is good only for vacuum use] and way cheaper than braided an hose. the drawback to this is weight and possible routing issues.
beer


How do you hook up a hydraulic or braided line to a generic oil pressure gauge that only has a fitting on the back for the nylon hose compression fitting cap? I have owned other mechanical gauges that have a different fitting, but it seems most only have the fitting for the nylon line.


on those types, i used a brass female adapter that had an inside seat the shape of the furl used on the plastic line, and the other end was a male fitting to [i think it's called] JIC, or something like that.
got those fittings from the lab at work. i don't remember what they were used for originally.
beer

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