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. Thread Sealer Tape

franklinair

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
4,740
Last week when moving my C/S the oil pressure gage read '0'. I attached a direct reading gage to the adapter that screws into the block, and it read 50PSI so I assumed the sending unit had failed. I grounded the wire at the sending unit and the oil pressure gage went full scale, so I knew the wiring & gage were good.(This is NOT easy to get to with the A/C compressor & P/S pump in place.)
Replaced the sending unit (which also entailed skinned knuckles & bleeding). Cranked the engine and oil pressure gage read mid scale. All was well. When I restarted the engine, again- no oil pressure indication. I removed the new sending unit (minor loss of blood again) and replaced it with another new sending unit. Same thing again. On the first run oil pressure read OK. On restart '0' indication. Removed sending unit again (no loss of blood this time:icon_ecst. With the sending unit removed, I cranked the engine a few revolutions (with a rag over the end of the adapter to catch the oil) and I found a small piece of that thread sealing tape on the rag. Voila! Re-installed the sending unit (minor blood loss) and now all is well.
No telling how long this was waiting to happen. The PO obviously used the tape thread sealer when putting the car together, sometime ago. The reason for this epistle is to give everyone a heads-up about using this stuff. I never do. 3M makes a very good gasket sealer, and I just coat threads with that. Works well.

Neil (O+ blood type) Hoppe:eek:
 

Midnight Special

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
3,713
Location
Grass Valley, California
...So Neil, did the thread sealing tape clog the sender, or did it affect the electrical ground?

P.S. I'm O+ too. Let me know if you need a pint shipped! I think I have a spare brake fluid container around here somewhere.......
;-)
 

Mosesatm

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2005
Messages
9,011
Last week when moving my C/S the oil pressure gage read '0'. I attached a direct reading gage to the adapter that screws into the block, and it read 50PSI so I assumed the sending unit had failed. I grounded the wire at the sending unit and the oil pressure gage went full scale, so I knew the wiring & gage were good.(This is NOT easy to get to with the A/C compressor & P/S pump in place.)
Replaced the sending unit (which also entailed skinned knuckles & bleeding). Cranked the engine and oil pressure gage read mid scale. All was well. When I restarted the engine, again- no oil pressure indication. I removed the new sending unit (minor loss of blood again) and replaced it with another new sending unit. Same thing again. On the first run oil pressure read OK. On restart '0' indication. Removed sending unit again (no loss of blood this time:icon_ecst. With the sending unit removed, I cranked the engine a few revolutions (with a rag over the end of the adapter to catch the oil) and I found a small piece of that thread sealing tape on the rag. Voila! Re-installed the sending unit (minor blood loss) and now all is well.
No telling how long this was waiting to happen. The PO obviously used the tape thread sealer when putting the car together, sometime ago. The reason for this epistle is to give everyone a heads-up about using this stuff. I never do. 3M makes a very good gasket sealer, and I just coat threads with that. Works well.

Neil (O+ blood type) Hoppe:eek:

In our company we call them "FO"s for, um, 'former owner', yeah that's it, former owner. Couldn't be for anything else!.:wink:
 

admin

Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Aug 18, 2002
Messages
2,049
In our company we call them "FO"s for, um, 'former owner', yeah that's it, former owner. Couldn't be for anything else!.:wink:
I always thought it was PO as in you're always Pissed Off at the previous owner. :grin:

Good tip Neil. I like the thread sealant in a tube myself, although I've seen PO's really glob that stuff in there too!
 

JohnnyQuest515

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
302
Location
Spicewood, Tx.
3m aka Teflon tape can give you other running nightmares like sealing the fuel fittings.

If a piece comes loose and makes it to the carb, forget about it...

**I watched Johnny Depp in Johnnie Brasco last night and between him and Pachino there was plenty of "forget about it"!

Randy
 

somethingspecial

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Messages
1,795
...So Neil, did the thread sealing tape clog the sender, or did it affect the electrical ground?

P.S. I'm O+ too. Let me know if you need a pint shipped! I think I have a spare brake fluid container around here somewhere.......
;-)

I don't know Tim, with the age difference between you and Neil, perhaps an "Octain Booster" bottle would be more appropriate. LOL Mike.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
franklinair

franklinair

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
4,740
Mike's being ugly, and I'm telling Robinett. THEN we'll see who's smiling.:grin:

Tim; the tape remnant blocked the tiny inlet hole of the sending unit.

Neil
 

somethingspecial

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Messages
1,795
Mike's being ugly, and I'm telling Robinett. THEN we'll see who's smiling.:grin:

Tim; the tape remnant blocked the tiny inlet hole of the sending unit.

Neil

Just funning Neil. If you tell Robinette I'll be in the dog house for sure. She likes you to much not to sew my typing fingers together. Mike
 

PonyGal

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 14, 2006
Messages
555
Location
Loomis, Ca
Sorry Neil, There's no stopping 'em once they get started! I think you NEED to come out here and deal with them!!! (was that subtle enough of a hint to get you thinking about a visit? :wink:)
 
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