Archived Oil pressure gauge drops to 0 pressure!

[Soot4Life]

HELP! My 99' sits and waits for a fix. Yesterday while driving I heard a bell tone, "check gauges" light comes on, and I notice the oil pressure gauge is pegged @ 0 pressure. I pulled over within 300' & shut it down. Check for obvious leaks, check oil level... ... both OK. What gives? I don't dare drive it until this is fixed.

What do you think? I need this truck for work!!!!!!!



Bill

 

[paccool]

Bill,



Sounds like the sending unit took a dump. I'm assuming you have stock gauges and not a mechanical aftermarket gauge installed.



Also check to be sure the wire has not come of the sending unit and is laying against the motor someplace. I had this happen once in an older Dodge and the idiot light kept coming on and then going off. Like you, was afraid to drive it. Found the wire shorting out, had come off the sending unit.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

It could very well be just the sender. You could pick up a mechanical oil pressure gauge at a local auto parts store or rent one. There is a test port in the top of the oil filter housing. I believe it's an 1/8th inch NPT port. Put the test gauge on there and start up the truck and see if you have pressure. My bet is that it's just the sender and not the oil pump. If it checks out ok with the mechanical gauge then go down to your local cummins supplier and buy the sender there, it probably won't cost more than $20-$40 (just a guess, haven't had to replace one). Believe it or not on the later year trucks they've set the ECM up so that if the oil pressure sender says 0 oil pressure it checks out several other things on the engine and if they are all normal then it simply points the oil pressure gauge at 60 psi . That's how much more common it is for it to be the sender and not the pump.

 

[Soot4Life]

Thanks for the quick replies! I'll test that oil pressure and like you both said... ... ... it's likely the sending unit. When the alarm went off and the check gauges light came on, and the gauge read 0 pressure... ... ... ... my blood pressure spiked bigtime! I want to live long enough to wear this Cummins out!

Thanks, Bill

 

[AlK]

Bill,

I hope your young and up to the challenge.

---

Al

 

[BFC]

FYI, paid 71$ for the sender at Cummins. Stealer wants over 200$! If you go to the dealer (I wouldn't, takes 5 min to change) DON'T LET THEM REFLASH YOUR TRUCK!!!!



Glenn

 

[jwilliams3]

Get a 32mm deep well socket, a new sender (Oil pressure sensor), and torque to 8 Newton meters.

You will be good to go then.

 

[TPCDrafting]

there's a TSB on this.

http://www.dodgeram.org/tech/tsb/1999/08-22-99.htm



I had the same problem on my '98. I found it to be just as the TSB describes. I drove it for several months before I had the chance to get it in to the stealer. They fixed it, I haven't seen the gauge drop since. They did do a reflash and I haven't had any problems.



I posted the same problem to the TDR when I noticed it and I couldn't believe how fast I got response. Gotta love the TDR!

 

[Bill Lins]

Does the TSB apply to 12 valve trucks also or just the 24 valve ones? My 12 valve does the same thing- usually when slowing or turning.

 

[TPCDrafting]

I'm not sure exactly which motors it applies to. Mine acted up when in stop and go traffic on a hot day and when going slow on a rough road, like my driveway. But even then it was completely random.