Has anyone had occasion to try to install rubber or some other protective coating to the capillary tube that operates the temperature gauge? This thin tube contains ether and is covered in black plastic. It runs along the left side of the valve cover and into the block toward the front of the engine.
I was trying to straighten some kinks in it and the plastic was so brittle it just disintegrated in my hands. Luckily, the capillary tube inside is still intact and the temp gauge still works. I am afraid that if I do not do something to protect it that it will eventually break all the way through at some point.
I thought of the heat shrink rubber tubing used on electrical lines but discarded the idea due to concerns about exposing the ether to that much heat. I might try some air hose like that used in aquariums and such. If I do that, I will likely slice it longitudinally in order to slip it over the tube without the need for disconnecting anything. I wondered whether anyone else has come up with a better solution. I'd hate to have tear my dash apart to pull the temperature gauge in order to send it off to repair a broken capillary tube.
