Check Gages Light

[DPKetchum]

I know a good gauge is useful but for the most part in street machines i doubt it. Have seen many badly sludged motors read good or even too high oil pressure and lifters just a banging or even seized up on a 30 degree morning reading 80psi. Seems heavy sludged motors always read high. Like watching video of in car race cams showing oil psi falling and driver saying oh no and then BANG and he yells MOTOR GONE DAMN!

 

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by DPKetchum

I know a good gauge is useful but for the most part in street machines i doubt it. Have seen many badly sludged motors read good or even too high oil pressure and lifters just a banging or even seized up on a 30 degree morning reading 80psi. Seems heavy sludged motors always read high. Like watching video of in car race cams showing oil psi falling and driver saying oh no and then BANG and he yells MOTOR GONE DAMN!

Maybe we should all switch to synthetic, huh? I hear tell that synthetic oils do a good job of cleaning out heavily sludged engines. The Cummins guy at the TDR rally a couple of weekends ago said it was O. K. to switch to synthetics at first oil change.



OTOH, there are a few drivers out there who will disagree with this big time. S'pose maybe they're both correct, that dino oil will work for a few hundred thousands of miles and so will synthetic - as long as you switch to it early enough?

 

[sag2]

Steve M

If you want to test your gauge, unplug the sensor wire (drivers side, in front of the fuel filter) and start it up. Your gauge will read the same as when it is hooked up.

To unplug it, slide the red lock tab (if the tab is on top, side it to the rear, on bottom, to the front, you get the picture) first, then push the connector tab and pull off.

Technology at it's finest!!!

 

[DPKetchum]

I do read amsoil news letter and president and owner of Amsoil sold me! Their tech line is real good also!Will answer any and all questions about lubes etc. I run Amsoil 10w30 in a 85 chevy caprice with 180,000. Change every 20 to 25 thousand miles. Filters every 7500. 305 4 barrel wife gets 20. 5 to 22. 25 mpg every tank. Auto gets 500 miles a week on it. Bought it with 82,000 miles and on Castrol 10w30 used a qt. every 1500 miles. On 10w30 syntech used a qt. every 1800 miles. On Amsoil 10w30 a qt. every 3100 miles. Engine rockers etc. are cleaner now then when we bought auto. Pcv stays clean etc. I've changed untold amounts of oil every 90 days or 3,000 miles for years. It was hard to adjust but grited my teeth and did. On my diesel I dont drive it that much so it gets every 6,000 or once a year. Last year it hit a year and about 5,000 miles. Have a 1998 Dodge 1500 slt with 318 kinda same thing. Last changed it on 6/2002 have driven 6,000 miles as of this month and its used a 1/2 qt. oil cap and pcv is spotless. The oil is very dark and that brothered me. Amsoil tech line said DONT worry. Its ok. So I grit my teeth and leave well enough alone. Now its in my New Holland tractor and 18H. p. garden tractor. Not promoting any product just my custom car buddys all use Amsoil in restored 70 gto 455 etc. They claim most of them use it. Its in LOTS of show cars.

 

[smartineau]

Time to revive this thread.



What is the final outcome of a 'check gages' light flashing on for a second or less? Don't worry seems to be the answer, but this thread was started about 3-months ago.



Mine started to do this 2-days ago, everything looked and sounded fine. It flashed at idle and at speed, I did not notice it when shifting though.



TIA



steve

 

[lschultz]

When I talked to them a couple of weeks ago he told me it would be April(I think)before they come out with another re-flash that is suppose to correct this. I got a little over 13000+ and I think mine has flashed 7-8 times.

 

[DPKetchum]

Don't be to upset if its not even by April. If it takes EPA approval it can be at their mercy. There was a spark knock issue on gas burners for 97/98/99 models and we were told every week it was coming down the pipe line. It took a YEAR for the reflash to finally appear!

 

[Badunit]

I was recently at my dealer to have my voltage gauge checked out (dropped to zero for no apparent reason) and was told a TSB to reflash the mechanical cluster was coming soon but he wasn't sure what it fixed exactly. Over at Dodgeram. info I see there already IS a TSB on reflashing to fix the check gauges light:



http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2003/08-004-03.htm



Either it isn't actually available yet or my dealer just wasn't aware of it.



I also saw there is TSB unrelated to this gauge problem but something I'm going to watch. The alternator mounting bracket may crack:



http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2003/08-007-03.htm

 

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by Badunit

I was recently at my dealer to have my voltage gauge checked out (dropped to zero for no apparent reason) and was told a TSB to reflash the mechanical cluster was coming soon but he wasn't sure what it fixed exactly. Over at Dodgeram. info I see there already IS a TSB on reflashing to fix the check gauges light:



http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2003/08-004-03.htm



Thank you very much for this info! I will take it to the dealer next time I am in for service!

 

[dkollar33]

No oil pressure

I installed a Amsoil dual bypass filter on Saturday. The pressure read fine until Wednesday (the temp was around 32) and then I had none. I thought "crap, what did I do", called Dodge, they said get it in. Their answer was the computer needed a reflash so it could make the "fake" gauges register. Fake is my word not theirs. Monday it goes in to be "flashed". I bought a mechanical oil pressure gauge today, for piece of mind.