MTFCA Forum

Hey guys, just installed an oil sight gauge. The oil level doesn't appear to change. It was at this level (above the upper petcock) before I added a quart of oil. And it was still at that level after I added a quart of oil. No oil came out of the upper petcock when first opened and just a little trickled out after adding the quart. How do I get rid of the vacuum in the tube so the reading is trustable?

Also, how do I get pictures orientated correct? Lol

The top should be vented

What Scott said. There is probably a vent hole in the top, but it may be blocked by a non-original gasket.

Try running a wire into the upper petcock while it is open. If it is clogged, you might have enough oil, but it won't flow out. If it flows freely, it is over filled. I personally don't trust those sight gauges. They can easily be damaged and you will lose your oil. The original petcock is better, or the dip stick is also better.
Norm

There's been a sight glass on my car for over 50 years and tens of thousands of miles.
Only problem I ever had was I overfilled it and it leaked out the vent on top till it was happy again.

I have repaired two engines damaged when these sight glasses broke on gravel roads.

Did exactly the same thing Dave

amazing what one learns here. An oil sight glass will break on a gravel road, but a glass sediment bowl never will.

Rich

I fought the urge to state the obvious, but now you have gone and done it...whatever shall we do with you?

Scott, I got tired of biting my tongue. Sometimes it just hurts too much !

Well, I'm sure it tastes better than shoe leather...I got a taste of that recently with some really dumb/bad advice I gave on a recent post...didn't know I was still flexible enough to put my foot in my mouth...

Which is why I like to add a dipstick to my T engines.
Glass sediment bowl; I’ve never seen one under a T

Did someone say dip stick?

Les

you must have missed it. They were all the rage last week.

The dipstick in my T is behind the sreering wheel!

Dallas, the steering wheel in the TT was well adjusted to a dipstick before you got it!!! Dave

Steve's oil gauge:
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Martyn Vowell had one of those unventilated sight gauges on his car. He thought he was good till I checked it by unscrewing the cap and watched it empty itself. Fortunately he was only a qt./ 1/2 low. We vented the cap and no issues since and he keeps the petcock closed

I also marked it off in quarts, so I would what I needed to add if it ever did get low again.

I took the sight tube off, no vent hole to be found. So I drilled one in. Now it reads correctly. For how much I drive this car, I am happy to have this quick way to make sure I have enough oil. Back to driving!

Keep an eye out on Ebay, I got lucky and found a petcock with pipe threads on both ends so that I could shut off the oil flow to my sight gage for driving and open it only when I want to check the level.

Always read the forum. I'm learning a lot from you folks
with more experience and knowledge than I.
It's great that so many of you are willing to take
the time to help and share your knowledge.

I almost bought a sight gauge but then decided to go with the dipstick sold by antique auto ranch. With my bum leg and less than perfect knees, I was looking for an easy way to verify oil level. Anything that required turning the oil petcocks on a regular basis had little appeal. I've had the dipstick installed for about 850 miles and am quite happy with it. Yeah, it's not "period" but I drive my car and consider it to be an important safety item.

I've posted this numerous times, but will say it again for those who have not seen it before. I use the original pet cocks and a tool like others use to open them. However, I do NOT crawl under, NOR do I put my knee on the ground. I put my left knee on the left running board (or maybe the rear portion of the front right fender) and my right foot still on the ground. I then bend over and look under the fender. With my right hand, i use the pet cock tool to check the oil level. Its a lot easier than getting on the ground and then getting my fat butt back up.

Hal, I'm guessing your back is in a lot better shape than mine!!! Dave

Could be, but it does act up from time to time. I'd have to check exactly what all I do when I do this, but I'm kinda leaning (laying?) on the right front fender, holding on with my left hand, while looking under and checking with my right hand.

The TT is a breeze. No splash aprons.