Here's something I did recently that is very simple, doesn't cost much, (pretty rare to say those two when talking about heavy equipment!!!) and gives more info on how your machine is running. A very simple add of an oil pressure gauge. I just like a little more info on my oil pressure than "There isn't any!!!!!" First some quick background on the oil pressure sensors (yep, there's two). The two sensors are at the front (loader/cab) end and right side top of the engine. They are both simple 'switches' that are open circuit when there is no pressure and closed when there is sufficient pressure. Two wires go to each sensor and it doesn't matter at all which wire goes to which lug of the sensor. The sensor/switch on the front of the engine runs to the EMS and gives you the warning lights/sound when oil pressure is low. The sensor/switch on the side of the engine goes to the Hobbs (service meter) and allows it to run only when the engine is running. So here's the simple procedure. Remove the two wires from the side sensor (the one on the side of the engine that runs the service meter). Unscrew the sensor from the engine (use the hex 'head' right at the screw threads and don't try to grab the body of the sensor to turn it). Install the 'manifold' that will allow you to put both a sensor and a pressure gauge connection into that single hole on the engine. Screw the sensor into the manifold. Connect the wires back onto the sensor. Connect the oil pressure gauge line to the manifold. You will have to find a route for the pressure gauge line back up to the cab. I just drilled a hole in the small 'access panel' next to the EMS panel in the cab. NOTE: be sure you have enough line so that it will extend when you lift the cab!!! Otherwise you will have to disconnect the line whenever you raise the cab. My line is 60". Find a good place to mount the gauge - I just stuck mine in the bracket on the cab support. Run it up and check for leaks. DONE! Parts: - Oil Pressure Adapter, Turbo Adapter Oil Pressure Sensor Tee 1/8in NPT Female M10X1 Male & Female. About $17.00. Available on Amazon - Equus 6244 2" Mechanical Oil Pressure Gauge, Black. About $21.00 on Amazon Here's the pics: Here's the two sensors. Right one (front of engine) is to the EMS, the one coming right at you is to the Hobbs. Here's the manifold. Here's the manifold with the gauge line adapter in. Note: sensors are M10 1.0 threads. Here's the old sensor - a lot bigger than the new ones! Also the package has the part number of the sensors 9G8010. Here's the final install. Works just fine!
And here's a pic of the gauge in the cab.
Be sure to protect or clamp the hose feeding the gauge wherever you can. Let it rub on one sharp corner such as the one I've circled below and the next thing you will have is an oil leak and potentially run your engine low on oil despite having good pressure showing on the gauge. That's one of the reasons I personally prefer electrical sensors/senders to gauges.
As much as I like keeping wiring on anything as simple as possible I have to agree that running a poorly routed plastic line can cause problems. Actually made me recall years ago when I had a 1966 Corvair and decided to add some gauges to it. Oil pressure gauge was run by a 1/8 inch copper tubing from rear of car to gauges on the dash. Worked great till I noticed the rug for the rear seat was damp with oil. Turned out the copper tubing had a flaw in it and it just took a few days to leak enough to soak the carpet! Probably a good thing I ran the line under the carpet and not inside the tunnel for the shift linkage under the car. It could have leaked enough to cause engine damage before I noticed it!
That used to be known as "Boy Racer style" back home aka "Look at my shiny gauges...."
Yeah, ya caught me guys!! I thought the same as I was doing the job but my grommet kit was back at home. I agree completely it needs one. However, this gauge was in the machine when I bought it. They had put it in several years ago and run it thru a small hole by the bucket sticks. No chaffing at all on the line. BTW, 60" was perfect length to raise the cab with - we just had to (see below). That said, it was a matter of time before it chaffed thru! It's on my fix list BUT I've got a bigger problem now. My son was stumping and backed thru a large hole he'd just made. Bounced the machine a bit. The engine immediately started running bad (it'd been running like a clock!). Blowing black smoke and NO power. We limped the machine back to it's parking spot. Noticed antifreeze weeping out at the head gasket. Yesterday we torn the engine down. Remarkably easy. 2 hours and we had it done. (NOTE: we'd just done a turbo and exhaust manifold gasket so those bolts were easy. The rest all came out surprisingly easy ... maybe too easy!) Here's what we found (pic). Fortunately, my son's done a few machining jobs for an engine shop so they owe him. Taking the head in today. They'll take care of making sure head is nice, clean and flat as well as doing all of the valve seats and such. Trying to get a gasket set ordered but even Cat dealer is having a time getting it looked up. They found the gasket itself but we want the full set of gaskets. Agkits seems to have em so may just order from there. As the gasket looks to have blow pieces thru the engine we'll change oil and such. No damage to turbo vanes fortunately. Only thing we've noticed it possibly some marks around one of the valve seats - but they are getting a going over anyway. No cylinder/head/piston scores so should be good there. Pistons do seem a bit loose but all of them seem the same so we won't worry about that at this point. Hope to be back up and running again soon.
you need to check the block between those two holes ,make sure it's not low. Bob
Any auto parts store sells plastic wire harness wrap. It has spiral cut in it so it snaps over the wire. I have used it many times. There is also metal armour. The wire has to be pulled or pushed through it. I once ran a plastic oil gauge line through a length of DOT rated air pressure line. Very tough stuff.
Good ideas Tinkerer. I've done the hose trick before too. I've got a whole kits of various grommets. Just gotta remember to take them out to the farm with me! I like em because they are split - just slid em over the line and then press into the hole. ... assuming I made the hole big enough!! . Yep Bluox. Block looks good. (My son's a machinist so he's all over stuff like that.). However, we'll use a copper coat on the gasket for extra assurance anyway. The machine shop doing the head mentioned using the copper coat too.
For those of you following this saga ... We took the injectors in to be tested since we had the head apart anyway. Turns out two are just bad and two are marginal. Kind of surprising since it seemed to run so well but the shop said the failures were such that they might not be noticed much when running at full throttle operating speed. One injector was hardly ever closing and another was intermittently staying open very late. Two injectors were not atomizing properly. I didn't exactly want to fork out for all new injectors but ... they aren't too expensive and the shop that tested them waves their $65 testing fee if you buy the new ones from them.
The 'news' just keeps pouring in. Shop found a crack in the head between 3 and 4 cylinder. Looking for a good head now. Gee this is fun!