How the hell did I break an oil pressure switch?

[volrath]

Drove home from school, car was smoking like crazy and smelled like burnt rubber at a stoplight. Pulled into my parking space in front of my apartment. Oil all drained out in the parking spot. I jacked up the car to find my oil pressure switch had snapped in half.

...how the HELL did that happen?

 

[Mike G]

Just be thankful that is wasn't the $70 sending unit for the turbo 2.0....

--Mike

 

[volrath]

No way to get to work to make money for the day.
No car to go to the store to buy the part.
edit: The thing is nearly impossible to replace with a floor jack, and requires a weird wrench that I don't have. Easier for a shop.
No way to get the car to a shop except tow it.
$50 to tow it.
$100 parts + labor to fix.

$70 would be nice.

Even the mechanic was like WTF how did this break? :thumbdown

 

[volrath]

Would putting too much oil in be able to build enough pressure to blow the thing off?

 

[Defiant]

It just cracked through from a thread root. Not common, but not unheard-of.

Not being able to figure out how to get one out with some ViseGrips is rather unheard of.

If over-tightened, it's also possible to crack the oil filter housing from the tapered thread.

Don't use teflon tape, that's for house water plumbing. Use non-hardening Permatex. It's meant for cars and oil exposure.

 

[volrath]

i prefer not to use vice grips because they destroy the shape of the bolt. what if i need to take it out again and can't get a grip? also, it's a bit hard to rotate tools in that area.

i just got it back and it appears as though all the plastic holding it in one piece snapped. weird.

 

[Defiant]

Oh, the back side of the housing? Yeah, the heat will get to it eventually.

Glad you're better.

 

[5150]

The oil pressure switch is the brass cylender looking thing coming off of the oil filter bracket right?

 

[Defiant]

The oil pressure switch is the brass cylender looking thing coming off of the oil filter bracket right?

This thread was about an NT. Avert your eyes.