Re: alfa-digest V7 #845

[Pottree@domain.elided]

In a message dated 6/30/99 12:35:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:

<< Where is the oil pressure sender? Is is possible I knocked the connector
 >loose? What else might be causing this?
 =================================
 i'd guess that it's the sender itself that's failing - perhaps the gnu oil 
was
 viscous enuff to push it over the edge.  unlikely that you'd knock the sender
 wire loose changing the oil.  it's located in the ''v'' of the motor, at the
 firewall - wery difficult to get at.  ewe need to either get a 'stubby' 
wrench, >>

There are 2 senders over toward the driver's side, I believe: one is the 
pressure sender, and other, next to it, the sender for the low-oil light.  
These things fail, and when they're working they're all but useless anyhow 
(they all do that, even across models and decades, Alfa oil pressure gages 
are typically problematic).  When the pressure sender failed on one of the 6s 
here, oil leaked out at that spot, firewall below the hydraulic fluid tank, 
toward the center of the V, aprox.).  This is a kinda weird spot for a small, 
persistent oil leak, so if you have this symptom it's likely a failed sender. 
 I'm sure they're clever enough to fail in other ways as well, w/o the 
leaking.

Once upon a time I changed the detensioner on the GTV-6 to the mechanical 
unit.  The oil pressure indicator, which had barely worked prior to that, 
registering max when cold, 0 at idle, and progressively less toward about 25 
lb. as the engine warmed, suddenly healed itself and has worked perfectly 
ever since.  The hydraulic detensioner did work on the oil's pressure, I 
guess, but it's about as far away from the pressure sender as you could get 
and not be in the radiator.  This is one of those endearing little Alfa 
mysteries you can never duplicate on an ordinary car.

But with the operation of the oil pressure indicator, the wonderful Italian 
word "appagitoura" comes to mind.  It's a charming but unnecessary 
embellishment to something vital.  In music, it's a grace note, which is 
there but gets no count.  The oil pressure is the beat, the indicator a 
decoration that adds nothing to the rhythm.

Charlie
AROSC

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