Topic: CB 550 oil pressure switch

[AlekStooge]

Does any one know what size socket I would need to remove the oil pressure switch? Or is there another way to remove it?

Thanks

[bwaller]

Use channel lock pliers.

[Gene]

Or a monkey/crescent wrench - what my dad used to call an idiot wrench.

[BomberMann650]

Or a monkey/crescent wrench - what my dad used to call an idiot wrench.

A yes, the several/16ths wrench fits perfect.

[AlekStooge]

Use channel lock pliers.

Or a monkey/crescent wrench - what my dad used to call an idiot wrench.

Never heard of neither but probably seen them l before. Checking this out.

[Gene]

Crescent wrench - it's a brand - sorry for any confusion.

[Bodi]

Make sure you get the metric Crescent wrench. Inch ones, of course, won't fit.

[Gene]

Make sure you get the metric Crescent wrench. Inch ones, of course, won't fit.

[RAFster122s]

I actually have a small adjustable wrench marked in inches and the fir is tight enough to be accurate.  Having it marked in metric too would have been handy. (On the other side. ) Most of the time I eyeball it and am pretty good about that.  Just have to be careful as they can slip and round over a corner of some nuts.

[Deltarider]

Crescent wrench - it's a brand - sorry for any confusion.

As long as I've live we've called that a Bahco - it's a brand too - not to be confused with 'baco' which is a Baccardi - Coke that you can have afterwards. Bahco is a well known Swedish quality product and... it comes in metric standard as you can see below. No confusion anymore.

[AlekStooge]

Bought hex and straight channel lock pliers. Neither worked, just damaged the brass and slipped. Is it usually this much trouble? I think it will have to be drilled next.

[RAFster122s]

We are talking about wrenches...they aren't made of brass....


  just teasing.
if you have rounded the corners and you can no longer put a 6 point socket or a pair of channel locks where you can grip it tight enough to get it moving.

Did you use some good penetrating oil on the sender threads/base of the sender.
At this point you are looking to replace it with new regardless.  Time to break out the torch and heat up the base of the sender to where the heat can help break the bond.  A set of locking pliers ( vise grips) can be used...try turning a little both in the counter clock wise and then a bit in the clockwise direction. Apply more penetrating oil and heat with more penetrating oil after heating the base of the sender very hot.
 
Another method (old school) that can get rusty fastener joints free is using Candle Wax or Gulf Canning Wax.  Heat the stuck joint up to cherry red and then apply wax as it is cooling down.  It pulls the wax in as it cools.  It can take several applications but often is effective when dealing with steel parts...I don't know if aluminum oxidation has these same properties.  The wax can burn sometimes and be careful of the hot wax...

[AlekStooge]

That's interesting never heard of the wax method.

I used a heat gun but was afraid to use penetrating oil because I wouldn't want it mixing with oil in the pump later. I can't heat it up to glowing red because I don't have oxy/acetylene but I could try my propane torch, which I was hesitant to use before I read this.

Yeah, I meant the actual switch housing being brass