Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Do yourself and anyone else living there with you a favor and get that
gauge replaced by someone who can do the job right. You've already
announced to the world on this newsgroup what you did to that gauge, if
the place burned down your insurer might just learn about what you did,
because old newsgroup posts never really die. Stranger things have happened.

One of the risks assumed by the insurer is that of loss caused by non
criminal actions of the homeowner. Trying to remove a failed oil level
gauge and giving up is not a criminal action except perhaps in the
socialist republics of California and Massachusetts, so you're still
covered. Whether you get renewed is another matter...