1998 RAM 3500 QUAD CAB SLT DUALLY with 5. 9L 16 CUMMINS TURBO DIESEL with 40,290 miles... Driving vehicle today. Stopped at four (4) stop lights in 6 miles after having driven eight (8) miles. At each of the stop lights the alarm came on for check engine indicators. Each time the "OIL PRESSURE" needle had pegged ZERO (0). Placed transmission in Neutral and increased RPM's. Alarm went off and then it repeated at next stop light. At light #3 and #4 watched needle move down to forty (40). Once it reached 40 it would drop to zero in one motion and alarm would sound? Do you think Oil Pump is going out? Dennis
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Oil Pressure Drops to point that Alarm activates
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Ethdee
TDR MEMBER
Check this thread.
I had the same thing happen two days ago on my 98 2500 at a stop sign after exiting an interstate. I got the alarm, "check engine light" and the oil pressure was at ZERO. I shut the engine off and then restarted it and the pressure came back after increasing the rpm a couple of hundred above idle. Happend a couple of times when the pressure was down around 40 pounds.
There is no increase in engine noise when the pressure is at zero so I assume it is a oil pressure sensor or gauge problem.
Ethdee: I am interested in reading the thread you provided the link to but it no longer works due to the server change. What was the title of the thread?
Don
There is no increase in engine noise when the pressure is at zero so I assume it is a oil pressure sensor or gauge problem.
Ethdee: I am interested in reading the thread you provided the link to but it no longer works due to the server change. What was the title of the thread?
Don
HEMI®Dart
TDR MEMBER
It sounds like you have spent a lot of time at the ford sites!
I had the same problem with my '98 12 valve if my engine rpm dropped just a tad below it's normal idle like when pulling up my driveway and not giving it enough peddle. The problem on mine was the oil pressure sending unit. I replaced it and have not had one problem since.
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Oil Alarm
Error codes and flashing EPROM's aside, I recently had the same event— Hot day (oil thinner?) A/C running, stopped in traffic at idle. I replaced the sender (price should be in the 20's) and have had no problems, in fact gauge runs higher at startup once dash check completes. The repair is a pain (literally) cause the sender on our trucks hides behind the P/S pump. Like the Holy Hand Grenade the connector has three safety releases (four is right out) and you can't really reach it anyway... You'll need professional medical help: either a neurosurgeon's tools to complete it or a chiropracter when you're done!!! You'll also need a deep 1 1/16" socket (or a Dodge-type sender socket) to unmount and remount. I'm sure the job books out at 3 hours in the shop!!
My theory (probably wrong)? as the sender ages it loses linearity. When an actual low-normal pressure state occurs, it misreads it as out-of-range.
Error codes and flashing EPROM's aside, I recently had the same event— Hot day (oil thinner?) A/C running, stopped in traffic at idle. I replaced the sender (price should be in the 20's) and have had no problems, in fact gauge runs higher at startup once dash check completes. The repair is a pain (literally) cause the sender on our trucks hides behind the P/S pump. Like the Holy Hand Grenade the connector has three safety releases (four is right out) and you can't really reach it anyway... You'll need professional medical help: either a neurosurgeon's tools to complete it or a chiropracter when you're done!!! You'll also need a deep 1 1/16" socket (or a Dodge-type sender socket) to unmount and remount. I'm sure the job books out at 3 hours in the shop!!
My theory (probably wrong)? as the sender ages it loses linearity. When an actual low-normal pressure state occurs, it misreads it as out-of-range.
A bad sender was my first assumption (I didn't know about the PCM involvement) and I'm going to try to use external monitoring to see if I can verify the problem before digging into it.
I'm a little nervous about updating software. I worked in the aviation industry and it seemed like everytime we updated software to correct a problem, other changes occured that were either annoying or a second problem. Maybe I'm just getting too old to easily accept changes!
Thanks for all of the responses. The heads up on the difficulty changing the sensor is appreciated. It won't make it any easier but at least I'll know it isn't my ineptness.
Don
I'm a little nervous about updating software. I worked in the aviation industry and it seemed like everytime we updated software to correct a problem, other changes occured that were either annoying or a second problem. Maybe I'm just getting too old to easily accept changes!
Thanks for all of the responses. The heads up on the difficulty changing the sensor is appreciated. It won't make it any easier but at least I'll know it isn't my ineptness.
Don
oil pressure sender
you need a new sender unit,can be bought at any auto parts store along with you will need a deep well , GM style sender socket,if the store is any good they will have both in stock. Easy to change by turning the wheels to sharp left position and go in between the frame rail or if run up on hoist from the bottom side, takes more time to walk in and buy than change.
Standard products sender # i don't recall.
you need a new sender unit,can be bought at any auto parts store along with you will need a deep well , GM style sender socket,if the store is any good they will have both in stock. Easy to change by turning the wheels to sharp left position and go in between the frame rail or if run up on hoist from the bottom side, takes more time to walk in and buy than change.
Standard products sender # i don't recall.
tdramrmbr,
Thanks for the tip on turning the wheels for access and the thought that it is a quick repair. The weather here has been cold and rainy and I don't do cold and wet maintenance very well. And I'd rather spend my limited budget on upgrades then on someone else turning the wrenches.
I plan to be at the parts place first thing Monday morning and the appropriate socket is also on my shopping list.
Don
Thanks for the tip on turning the wheels for access and the thought that it is a quick repair. The weather here has been cold and rainy and I don't do cold and wet maintenance very well. And I'd rather spend my limited budget on upgrades then on someone else turning the wrenches.
I plan to be at the parts place first thing Monday morning and the appropriate socket is also on my shopping list.
Don
Part suppliers
How dou you think makes the parts for Cummins/Dc/Dana /NV-ect. ect. Not who you think... ... Example - Cummins they design the product . define the spec's ,and assemble the product and are responceable to us the end user of the product,then there are sub -contractor's & sub/sub contractors, lets call these small familey businesses (jobers) that may really have the expertize in that finished product.
Now that co. that produced the end product ,example piston rings are in the business of making (in that location only piston rings) day after day and the and that same ring (for say 5. 9) goes into The Cummins package(blue & Wht) and say (red) sealed power--another color for (m&w) The only diffarance there may or not have a stamp or etching on the product to tell me (say cummins) yes this is my product that i sold to you and in the event of failure i have to make it right && i inturn get my cost back from back down how ever many layers it came from... . A Price mark -up from each step it went thru. The American Way!!
I 'm not promoting Standard Products oil pressure Sw. or there Head lamp Sw. But both have been in place Longer than the OEM units... In the case of the lamp sw. i think it is because after i spent $100 for D/c first up-date kit an it went to toast,i stoby the first Napa store i could find said i needed a sw for a 96 dodge
upon the instalation the wire that controls the mood lighting of the dash was to short So i left it OF .
May be why (I'sure it is) it has been in place 4-1/2 yrs and OEM sw's between the two only lasted 1-1/2 Yrs.
D/c main shaft for NV 5 sp --$530. Vs Standard Transmission's
OEM's Nv supplied shaft which they get from a "suppiler " but out there door in '97 was $125.
Get the point??? There some "captured parts" usually for 5-? Yrs that your not going to get any where but Top Dollar counters.
These are new products and they are going to get the investment in development back. ASAP.
How dou you think makes the parts for Cummins/Dc/Dana /NV-ect. ect. Not who you think... ... Example - Cummins they design the product . define the spec's ,and assemble the product and are responceable to us the end user of the product,then there are sub -contractor's & sub/sub contractors, lets call these small familey businesses (jobers) that may really have the expertize in that finished product.
Now that co. that produced the end product ,example piston rings are in the business of making (in that location only piston rings) day after day and the and that same ring (for say 5. 9) goes into The Cummins package(blue & Wht) and say (red) sealed power--another color for (m&w) The only diffarance there may or not have a stamp or etching on the product to tell me (say cummins) yes this is my product that i sold to you and in the event of failure i have to make it right && i inturn get my cost back from back down how ever many layers it came from... . A Price mark -up from each step it went thru. The American Way!!
I 'm not promoting Standard Products oil pressure Sw. or there Head lamp Sw. But both have been in place Longer than the OEM units... In the case of the lamp sw. i think it is because after i spent $100 for D/c first up-date kit an it went to toast,i stoby the first Napa store i could find said i needed a sw for a 96 dodge
upon the instalation the wire that controls the mood lighting of the dash was to short So i left it OF .
May be why (I'sure it is) it has been in place 4-1/2 yrs and OEM sw's between the two only lasted 1-1/2 Yrs.
D/c main shaft for NV 5 sp --$530. Vs Standard Transmission's
OEM's Nv supplied shaft which they get from a "suppiler " but out there door in '97 was $125.
Get the point??? There some "captured parts" usually for 5-? Yrs that your not going to get any where but Top Dollar counters.
These are new products and they are going to get the investment in development back. ASAP.
tdramrmbr, I hear what you're saying, a sender just as good or better than OEM can be had outside Cummins but if go down to your local autoparts and ask for a sender for your Cummins engine you will likely get a cheapo generic one. I'm sure some autoparts can get you a better one if you ask but most likely they will have to order it in and you will pay close to the Cummins price.
sender
Nothing like a parts counter person that can read a parts book or computer screen! and she was a woman over 30. !! Poe-dunk Ind . came thru at carquest. How'd have thunk?? G. MI must need experance?? Training??
I dont re-call but i asked for a sender for a 96 W/5. 9 D.
And the sw. (standard Product's & socket- KD )were in stock and both total cost less than $35. And the oem & re-placement sw had the same id marking's which tells me being i bought ride new SPD is the suppiler of said sw. .
It's your $ buy where you want-You mave have to stop/or call the 2nd store ,I must have been lucky just driving up to the first prt store i went to????
Nothing like a parts counter person that can read a parts book or computer screen! and she was a woman over 30. !! Poe-dunk Ind . came thru at carquest. How'd have thunk?? G. MI must need experance?? Training??
I dont re-call but i asked for a sender for a 96 W/5. 9 D.
And the sw. (standard Product's & socket- KD )were in stock and both total cost less than $35. And the oem & re-placement sw had the same id marking's which tells me being i bought ride new SPD is the suppiler of said sw. .
It's your $ buy where you want-You mave have to stop/or call the 2nd store ,I must have been lucky just driving up to the first prt store i went to????
sender
Grrrrrr!!! In my search for a sender, I avoided calliing the Carquest store down the road from me because of past frustrations with their inept counter folks. Instead, I called the parts houses that have been very helpful. After reading tdramrmbr's posting I called the only Carquest open on Sunday and found they had a sender but the price quoted would exceed $50 after adding the MI sales tax! I then called another NAPA store that is open today and this one said their book only goes up to the 95 model year and they did have a sender for that year, under $30, and I would need to bring mine in to see if it matched. He said it had a two prong oval connector and was about 5" long. I haven't pulled mine out yet (it's been working fine since I first posted!) so I don't know if it is the same.
I guess i going to have to do a search on Monday to find where the competent counter people are working!
tdramrmbr - Thanks for posting your experience. I was headed to the Cummins shop tomorrrow but now I'm going to do the search. I don't mind paying a little extra markup but almost 25% is a little too much.
Don
Grrrrrr!!! In my search for a sender, I avoided calliing the Carquest store down the road from me because of past frustrations with their inept counter folks. Instead, I called the parts houses that have been very helpful. After reading tdramrmbr's posting I called the only Carquest open on Sunday and found they had a sender but the price quoted would exceed $50 after adding the MI sales tax! I then called another NAPA store that is open today and this one said their book only goes up to the 95 model year and they did have a sender for that year, under $30, and I would need to bring mine in to see if it matched. He said it had a two prong oval connector and was about 5" long. I haven't pulled mine out yet (it's been working fine since I first posted!) so I don't know if it is the same.
I guess i going to have to do a search on Monday to find where the competent counter people are working!
tdramrmbr - Thanks for posting your experience. I was headed to the Cummins shop tomorrrow but now I'm going to do the search. I don't mind paying a little extra markup but almost 25% is a little too much.
Don
prong
cant remember if mine was two prong or 1 but now that you say 95 i think that was the case i ran into but took it home & it was the one,after the store was a 2 mile trip from the houseif i get the time i'll look in my records and find the year of rpl and dig thru tax records for the #.
Part # are held captive for a number of years by name plate,ie cummins/nvstr/Dc ect. ect. I know as i been in every position of the trucking industry thur Maint. dir & parts purch &spec out new equip. to-date 38 yrs(started young).
Example havent tryed to buy a air filter for a 96 (oem style)as i use K&N but in 98 you still couldnt get one from the parts house
listed was 94 or 95,,diff was Cummins/fleetguard added a piece of sponge rubber-- being late sat in lw'er. Mo. i took it and got a tube of weather strip cement(3m) Yellow (which is the same thing as weld wood contact counter top cement ,removed an applyed the foam to New filter & back on the road-- 3 D/c filters cost the same as 1 K&N!!!!!!!!!!!! And for what ever reson the OEM filter would plug as if hooked to the speedo every 24k and clicking off those miles in 4 mo's the first year, something is going to change
cant remember if mine was two prong or 1 but now that you say 95 i think that was the case i ran into but took it home & it was the one,after the store was a 2 mile trip from the houseif i get the time i'll look in my records and find the year of rpl and dig thru tax records for the #.
Part # are held captive for a number of years by name plate,ie cummins/nvstr/Dc ect. ect. I know as i been in every position of the trucking industry thur Maint. dir & parts purch &spec out new equip. to-date 38 yrs(started young).
Example havent tryed to buy a air filter for a 96 (oem style)as i use K&N but in 98 you still couldnt get one from the parts house
listed was 94 or 95,,diff was Cummins/fleetguard added a piece of sponge rubber-- being late sat in lw'er. Mo. i took it and got a tube of weather strip cement(3m) Yellow (which is the same thing as weld wood contact counter top cement ,removed an applyed the foam to New filter & back on the road-- 3 D/c filters cost the same as 1 K&N!!!!!!!!!!!! And for what ever reson the OEM filter would plug as if hooked to the speedo every 24k and clicking off those miles in 4 mo's the first year, something is going to change
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