oil pressure switch
 

been having a few gremlins with the oil light on the bike.
so to try and eliminate the obviouse bought a new oil pressure switch.
compared to the old one the threaded part is slightly longer and when we tried to fit it it felt as though the last few threads were starting to chew so put the old one back in.
have checked the ducati part number and it is the right part
any one else had this?

Glyn, Check the sealing washer is in place. It's a thick alloy one. If it's still stuck to the bottom of the old switch, you could run out of thread.

yep
ive got the alloy washer

comaring the new and old switch the new one is about ten mm longer thread

10mm longer!!??
That cant be right surely??:puzzled:

I was with Glyn and the thread is about 10mm longer the thread is made of Alluminium. when we tried to screw it in it felt as if the thread would strip:puzzled:

Hmm,I've just crossed ref'd the part no,(539.4.030.1A) against just about everything from a 600 Monster to a Multistrada and they are all the same.
I thought the 'modern' bikes like ST3,MTS,999 and the like had a differant wiring system?
Perhaps Ducati have changed the switch but not the part no?
Is the wiring connector the same as the old switch?:puzzled:

I don't like the idea of both threads being aluminum. I was always told the threads should be of dissimilar metals when both threads are nonferous .:puzzled:

I changed the oil pressure switch twice on the 900ss in the 24000 miles I had it. First one worked erratically, the second one leaked at the terminal blade. Like KeefyB, as far as I can tell they are all the same and one for a Volkswagen Polo fits. The thread is 10mm x 1.0mm pitch and about 12mm in length. Costs about a Fiver from a motor factor.

cheers folks
will try to get down to baines later
one quick question though. can any one confirm if the thread should be brass or alloy?

The ones I fitted looked like mild steel with a plating of some sort - passivated cadmium or zinc maybe?
What ever kind you fit put a smear of copper grease on it before you fit it.

popped up to baines this afternoon and they are very very nice people there
the end result being the chap popping out and taking out my oil sender to compare with the new one
it was definatly a bit longer but there is no other alternative apart from pre 98 bikes that have a spade conecter
so he checked the depth of the hole/thread and started to screw in the new switch, and it went all the way in. now this has me baffled as when mark and i tried to fit it, it stopped a good few mm short of home.then he went to nip it up with the spanner and the damn switch fell apart leaving the thread down the hole!
i suspect that what me and mark thought felt like threads starting to strip was the switch just starting to brake (there was never any force put onto the switch) and the reason it wouldn't screw home was just that the threads down that far had not been used before.
any way long story short
the chap got the threaded bit out the hole. The very nice man did mention something about another engine rebuild (i wasn't scared) fitted another switch and all is now well
so big up to baines racing

Bloody heck! Broke off in the hole! :o
I don't fancy this new fangled oil pressure switch if they break that easy. At least since it hadn't been tightened down hard the stub would have come out easily. Reminds me of the old 12V Zener diodes that were made of copper and had a torque spec of 4lbft. They would break off if you sneezed when you were tightening them.
I didn't realise that post '98 they have a different connector. I haven't had the one off the ST4s yet but it's definitely made of plated steel. In the event of it needing replaced I'll be off to the motor factor for a suitable match.

Thank god we stopped when we did:saint: It felt as if the threads were about to strip which is why I wouldn't Nip it up.

I thought I was the only one old enough to remember zener diodes:P Made by the one and only JOE LUCAS Prince of Darkness:lol::lol::lol::lol:

tell you the truth marko i dont think he'd even got as far as nipin it up as much as put the spanner on it
and it just went
he seemed to think the most likly explanation was just bad manufacture
i suspect it was starting to go when we tried fitting
and we just got away with it

Bit of luck then:lol:

Glad you got it sorted.BTW did it cure the oil light flickering on and off?

yep