Check Gages Light

[gthiessen]

Just so all you 03 owners know that the oil pressure gauage is not a manual gauge It is a virtual oil pressure gauge. It is basicly a idiot lite. I found this out from one of our best diesel tech in our shop. He just went to a DC class on the updated cummins motor. Also they don't want the public to know that. The guage wiil show normal even with a minimal pressure of 3 to 5 lbs.

Greg

 

[lschultz]

Took it to the dealer Thursday for check gages light. They unplugged the ecm connector and then plugged it back up. Also they check the connector on the dash that goes to the instrument panel. Had them fix the rattling acc pedal when you put cruise on. See what happens

 

[lschultz]

Again

Well it did it again. Have put several hundred miles on it since they did there thing that was suppose to stop check gages light from flashing. But I just pulled off the highway onto path to our house and I saw light flash one time. So much for that quick fix. I will call them back Monday and break the news to them

 

[sag2]

Mine finally flashed long enough yesterday to read the "check gauges" light. Still not concerned as it appears to be fine. Currently @3000 miles.

 

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by lschultz

It did it again this morning after I went about 3 miles down road. So far this makes 6 times it has flashed in 7300+miles. You would think them high tech boys would figure out whats causing it.

This happened to me once and the tech at Rocky Mountain Cummins said to mention it to the dealer at the next service and ask him to take a look at the codes and make sure everything is OK. He didn't seem to think it was a huge problem. Incidentally, he said Cummins had cut a deal with DC that said only dealers could read the codes. He also said he (Rocky Mountain Cummins) was about 2-3 months from getting that changed.

 

[Fred Swanson]

I've seen it about 4 times in the 2800 miles that are on it. It stopped when I installed the EZ, very strange.

 

[Steve M]

Mine has flashed one time in 1200 miles while I was accelerating up an incline with our 5th wheel hitched up. Gages checked OK. There are alot of parameters to be met in these electronic engines. Dictated values have to be within a certain percentage of actual values. It's not hard to perceive that these values can fall out of range momentarily from time to time. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

I must have the wrong oil pressure gauge in my truck. It slowly climbs up to the high side with a cold start and gradually settles back to just high of center when it's warmed up. At warm idle it drops to just below center. Fords have a fake gauge that works like an idiot light. It reads center any time the oil pressure is within an acceptable range.

 

[scarlton]

Originally posted by Fred Swanson

I've seen it about 4 times in the 2800 miles that are on it. It stopped when I installed the EZ, very strange.

Now that you mention it mine hasnt done it since the ez either.

But the horn will not blow sometimes and sometimes it will

 

[JWerkheiser]

Steve B,

Sorry to break the news to you but we have the same idiot light oil pressure gauge.

 

[MCummings]

Why do you even need an oil pressure gauge any way??



If you have low oil pressure you are gonna hear it in a BIG way,, why not Oil temp??



You won't hear over heating oil...

You won't hear an over heating transmission...

You won't hear high EGT's...



So why do they give you an oil pressure gauge?? Sure,, they've been standard for YEARS on automobiles,, but that can change.



'03 Fords don't have a Voltmeter gauge,, they have a transmission temperature gauge like GM does.



Ford, and GM both have Transmission temperature gauges,, and Dodge Has?? Maybe that's why Dodge trannies fail so often,, owners are over heating the trannies and they DON'T EVEN KNOW



In my '98. 5 truck I can really hear if I don't have oil pressure,, but when I'm hitting 230+ degrees on water temp and 1800* EGT,, I don't hear the motor much different.



Why doesn't the factory but an EGT gauge?!!?

or, since these are such Heavy Duty trucks,, An Oil temp gauge??



Okay,, off soap box,, flame suit on.



Merrick Cummings Jr

 

[Casey Balvert]

Why??

Because DC as a corporation does not listen to its customers. And because guys and gals like us represent a small fraction of their consumer base. That's why.

 

[lschultz]

I would just like one of them big boys to figure out why the light blinks on/off. It just irritates me and and and

 

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by MCummings

Why do you even need an oil pressure gauge any way??



If you have low oil pressure you are gonna hear it in a BIG way,, why not Oil temp??



You won't hear over heating oil...

You won't hear an over heating transmission...

You won't hear high EGT's...



So why do they give you an oil pressure gauge?? Sure,, they've been standard for YEARS on automobiles,, but that can change.



'03 Fords don't have a Voltmeter gauge,, they have a transmission temperature gauge like GM does.



Ford, and GM both have Transmission temperature gauges,, and Dodge Has?? Maybe that's why Dodge trannies fail so often,, owners are over heating the trannies and they DON'T EVEN KNOW



In my '98. 5 truck I can really hear if I don't have oil pressure,, but when I'm hitting 230+ degrees on water temp and 1800* EGT,, I don't hear the motor much different.



Why doesn't the factory but an EGT gauge?!!?

or, since these are such Heavy Duty trucks,, An Oil temp gauge??



Okay,, off soap box,, flame suit on.



Merrick Cummings Jr

Glad you have your flame suit on, Merrick. If you don't understand oil pressure, don't ever learn how to fly an airplane. Or if you do, don't fly it over my neighborhood.



Dodge trannies fail because, until recently, they haven't been strong enough to handle the power of the Cummins engine.



Secondly, Ford, GM and Chrysler manufacturers often leave off nice-to-have-but-not-totally-necessary gauges that tend to run up the price. Not every owner pulls 16-20,000 lbs. and therefore will never need an EGT gauge. Why make him or her pay for one?



Third, go buy a Ford truck. You clearly are not happy with the truck you have and that's a shame.



Finally, if you want others to read what you have to say, ask someone to edit what you write. It was so illogically written that I still am not sure what you said.



Best,

 

[MCummings]

Originally posted by Jeremiah

Third, go buy a Ford truck. You clearly are not happy with the truck you have and that's a shame.

I agree with everything else you said. I'm not the worlds best writer, but telling me to go buy a Ford truck? Ouch.



I like my Dodge, it's my truck. I know it has faults, just like me. I try to fix the faults I can, and cope with the ones I can't.



*(Note to self,, do not write posts at 3:00 in the morning)

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This is the point I was trying to get across.



Why not put an "Idiot Light" for low oil pressure, and in place of oil pressure, put an Oil Temperature gauge?



I guess the reason not to, is the same reason the Oil Pressure gauge is nearly inoperational in the first place, $$$$



EGT gauges are used for high EGT, but also for turbo cool down time. An EGT gauge on a completely stock truck is used only for turbo cool down, even when towing 20,000 pounds. A stock truck will not harm itself, it is idiot proof, even when lugged beyond reason.





I'm not a full scale pilot, and I probably don't understand the importance of an oil pressure gauge in a full scale plane, maybe you could explain.

I do understand alot about bearing temp, Cylinder temp, and EGT, in my hobby, these temperatures are extremely critical, as the motors I use are two-strokes and do not have any practical oil pressure.

 

[lschultz]

Idiot Lights for IDIOTS

If you keep saying the word idiot you will probably have Whitmore on here commenting

 

[Steve M]

And then JWerkhieser said,

"Sorry to break the news to you but we have the same idiot light oil pressure gauge. "



Maybe I don't catch on too quickly but my gauge has numbers on it and reacts to cold or warm temp oil and to high or low rpm. It's not just in the middle or off. Can you point me to a qualified source to convince me of this? The idiot light gauge in the Fords doesn't move from center if oil pressure is within a acceptable range, cold, hot, high or low rpm.

 

[Mathew Clausen]

Ditto Steve M - they have got a pretty good fake program if it is really an on/off sensor. My gauge acts as I would expect - higher cold, lowest at complete idle - proportional with rpm in between. I am not convinced yet.

 

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by MCummings

I agree with everything else you said. I'm not the worlds best writer, but telling me to go buy a Ford truck? Ouch.



I like my Dodge, it's my truck. I know it has faults, just like me. I try to fix the faults I can, and cope with the ones I can't.



*(Note to self,, do not write posts at 3:00 in the morning)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



This is the point I was trying to get across.



Why not put an "Idiot Light" for low oil pressure, and in place of oil pressure, put an Oil Temperature gauge?



I guess the reason not to, is the same reason the Oil Pressure gauge is nearly inoperational in the first place, $$$$



EGT gauges are used for high EGT, but also for turbo cool down time. An EGT gauge on a completely stock truck is used only for turbo cool down, even when towing 20,000 pounds. A stock truck will not harm itself, it is idiot proof, even when lugged beyond reason.





I'm not a full scale pilot, and I probably don't understand the importance of an oil pressure gauge in a full scale plane, maybe you could explain.

I do understand alot about bearing temp, Cylinder temp, and EGT, in my hobby, these temperatures are extremely critical, as the motors I use are two-strokes and do not have any practical oil pressure.

I agree, you write much better in the light of day. Sorry if I offended but remember: you invited the flames. I notice that your truck is totally bombed. If that's the case, you need the instruments you mentioned in order to keep up with what's going on inside your engine.



Jean (Ladyjaine) wouldn't need them at all, so why should DC charge her for them? For my part, they would be nice-to-have toys. But on a stock truck, are they really needed? Nah. Like the Cummins man said at the TDR rally a couple of weeks ago, turbo cool-down might be necessary if you'd just climbed up to Eisenhower Tunnel with a 16,000 lb. load and pulled over and stopped. Otherwise, he said, the turbo will cool down normally by the time you turn a corner and get stopped. In fact, I think the owner's manual covers this quite well.



Re oil pressure, you're going to be dead in the water (or the air if you're a pilot) a minute of two after you lose it. That's why you need the gauge, so you can at least shut the engine down before it seizes up.



OP gauges are critical in every engine I know of except maybe a two-stroke. But somewhere along the way manufacturers started using idiot lights instead of OP gauges. Stupid move, but I'm sure the red light is cheaper to make. That's why I'm glad the Cummins at least has what appears to be an OP gauge in '03. It certainly acts like an oil pressure gauge. It climbs when I start my engine. It gradually comes back to normal as the oil warms up and climbs a bit as I go up these Colorado mountains. I have inquired of Cummins to see if it's really a gauge or basically an idiot light.

 

[DPKetchum]

My experiance has been even with full manual high quality oil psi units when oil psi drops to 0 or even close suddenly the damage is DONE. Use to mess with a circle track car. Oil psi would be great,fall off and BAM all in a second time frame. A light would have been just as affective. :--)

 

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by DPKetchum

My experiance has been even with full manual high quality oil psi units when oil psi drops to 0 or even close suddenly the damage is DONE. Use to mess with a circle track car. Oil psi would be great,fall off and BAM all in a second time frame. A light would have been just as affective. :--)

You know, I've heard the same thing!



I have flown a few thousand hours in recips and was never as good as a friend of mine, but he could point to his fuel pressure gauge the second it faltered and began dropping!



You're probably right that a blinking red light would work just as well. OTOH, I lost an engine over Illinois once (the darn thing swallowed a valve) and I managed to get it shut down and the props feathered before it did any more damage.



Don't ask me whether I had oil pressure or not because I don't remember looking!



I also like to see the pressure come up when the cylinders light up. It lets us know there's oil in the sucker!