450 1/8 copper oil-pressure tube...

[P and R Pete]

...is leaking just behind the gas tank and dripping down, and here my FIL thought it was a hydraulic fluid leak.
Got a new line, and am about to put it in, but a maybe/maybe-not dumb question- does the line need to be primed with oil?
I sure hope not, which would make this 98% easier, but don"t want to miss a step.
 

[Phil Tibbetts]

No need to prime it
 

[pete 23]

I always leave the end off at the gauge, start engine and run until oil come out of pipe, shut down and hook it up to gauge. Some seem to feel you should let the line be filled with air but I feel you get a quicker oil pressure reading with the line full of clean fresh oil. It is amazing how little oil will actually flow through that little pipe.
 

[P and R Pete]

What surprised me is that after I wrote my first question, I disconnected it slowly at the engine block, just wanting to see if oil was going to ooze from the block, finally being able to take it off altogether with no leakage at all, either from the block OR the tube. The oil that had made it up the tube to cause the leakage at the hole had all drained back down into the block.

If that is always true, there is no need to prime. If it drained because of the hole providing an air leak, then maybe it does.

I'll decide tomorrow when I'm doing it, I guess. The gauge-panel has to be off to connect to the gauge, but if the battery's connected in order to turn over the engine, I'll be risking short-circuits with the wires being 'live'. Maybe the gauge alone can be extended from the gauge-panel.

Daylight will tell. Right now, I have to get back to my still-warm-from-the-oven peach pie.

Thanks for your thoughts!
 

[Owen Aaland]

[mkirsch]

[Harold H]

One suggestion, when replacing lines, use a steel brake line rather than copper tubing for oil pressure line or fuel lines. The copper will eventually harden and break whereas the steel line will last verturally forever.

Harold H
 

[Dean Olson]

No need to prime.

Go with a steel line. The PO of my 53 SH used a plastic line, it broke and his son ran it till it seized up.

My 54 SH had a copper line. It broke when I was operating. I heard the change in the tone of the motor, looked down to see "0" oil pressure and immediately shut it down. Replaced with a steel line, refilled with oil, and so far have no apparent damage.
 

[P and R Pete]

Too late. Got the copper line on today, fired it up, (the gauge works great, unprimed), and drove it to my FIL"s and back so he could see I"m making progress. I still have to make carb adjustments, since the carb was rebuilt by IH, and they set it up just to get it running.

Got to adjust the governor too. The engine remains at idle for 2/5 of the movement of the throttle.