Lost plug to oil filled 30 lb. pressure gauge..

[Jimrahbe]

Pulled the plug out to "reset" the gauge and dropped it trying put it back in.

To make matters worse, I tried to grab it on the way to the ground and basically sent it flying into the outfield... ☹

My question is does it really matter? What happens if the hole is not plugged. Obviously nothing squirts out, but how does the stopper being missing effect the reading, if at all??

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[proavia]

No stopper shouldn't affect the gauge reading. You may want to put a baggy over it and secure with a twist tie or tiewrap to keep the dirt, bugs and water out.

 

[rcerf]

Lost mine months ago , and gauge still works perfectly.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I would stick a toothpick or something similar in there. I have tiny insects which seem attracted to my equipment & I wouldn't want them crawling into the gauge.

 

[Bama Rambler]

The fill fluid is Glycerin and it's actually to help dampen the pointer movement. You can dump all the oil out and the gauge will still be accurate and work as before. As for the plug, I'd put a small dab of silicone caulking over the hole just to keep dirt and varmints out as Rocket J mentioned.

If you do it right it will even make a removable plug.

Also, a lot of filled gauges have a rubber plug and the instructions say to cut the nipple off once it's installed. So leaving it open isn't a big deal.

 

[Texas Splash]

Jim, you know the A/F maintenance concept .... grab some duct tape. Bwahaaahaaaa.

 

[Jimrahbe]

grab some duct tape. Bwahaaahaaaa.

Pat,

Actually we used what was called " F-4 tape".. I have no idea what it is actually called, but it was a black rubber tape that would stick to itself.. If you wrapped it around a wire bundle, in a week it would be one solid piece of rubber that you would have to cut off, if you wanted to remove it..

I have not seen it since... ☹

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[mguzzy]

Jim, I feel your pain! I dropped mine and then spent the next 30 minutes crawling around the pad looking for it. but EUREKA I found it under the main pump housing! ... And if I didn't find I was going to use a small stainless or brass screw/bolt as a replacement. The plug appears to be a pressure relief, its loose so it can move back and forth. And yes its filled with glycerin to damp the movement of the needle, it also provides protection to the internal component from corrosion. ...
Ah F-4 tape.. My dad used to bring it home from work.. It was great for all kinds of stuff. I remember the shops at the base had more kinds of "Duck" tape than the normal mind could imagine.

 

[Bama Rambler]

F-4 tape is also 130C splicing tape. Don't put it on anything you ever want to get it off of again! We put fiberglas tape under it so we could cut if off later.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I have dropped my gauge plug twice into the debris field known as my equipment pad (it's under a bunch of trees). Somehow I managed to find it both times. I think I'll just leave it alone from now on. As long as it can wobble loosely, I think it's doing its pressure-relieving job.