MGB: oil pressure sensor?

hey folks, it appears i am losing oil pressure as car warms up, i am hitting about 60 psi when cold when i start it up, but after i run it a while it slowly drops, if by chance i should shut it down hot, it never seems to climb much above 10 psi after that, something is screwy in there, this all came about after i replace the braided pressure line, i am thinking i may have over tightened it as the day i replaced it i could not get any oil pressure at all on the gauge, no knocks or rattles, so i had pressure, now however to go along with my pressure gauge issue, i am actually losing oil pressure too, as after a hearty run at 75-80 for about an hour when i pulled over to get gas, i had one god awful rattle when i started it back up, oil was still full. so i will be checking the gauge first so i can see how accurate it is, ( i drove it today for about 30 mins and all was fine again), but i want to check it all out, now i know this little gizmo has nothing to do with my problem but i want to know anyways, but at the top of the braided line there is a junction block and there is what i can only describe as an oil pressure sensor, what is it and what does it hook to?..... also any ideas on whats going on with my oil pressure would be helpful too :)

TIA

Darren

Darren...maybe the new line is crap and failing inside?

This IS a hassle to do but you had better do it.

Go find a known good mechanical gauge and adapt it to the out-put at the block and check the actual pressure. I just might be that the sender or your dash gauge is kaput, but if they are functioning properly you are skating on very thin ice driving the car with pressure that low. It is LOTS less expensive to rehab a running engine that it is to scrape the bits off of the pavement from blowing one up.

Jack

Yes, Jack has an excellent point. To test it, If you have a Home depot nearby, they have brass connectors with which you can mount the sensor with a hard line for under $12. That's what I did and I will never go back. I had the added incentive of having put an OEM oil cooler by-pass off a late model B on my 1970, so my oil pressure sender would not mount in the factory spot any longer. Whatever you do though, do it now just in case you are actually loosing pressure.

X3, do what Jack suggests before driving it again. You don't want to be running it at all if you only have 10psi, and the rattling sound you mentioned sure makes me nervous. :(

Isn't the fitting/thread in the block British Standard Pipe, though?

I've been experiencing the same symptoms from mine as well but I can't imagine Home Depot carrying these BSP fittings...

Darren...just wondering what you found?