oil pressure gauge works intermittently

[2shus]

My oil pressure gauge used to work always and several months ago it started working intermittently and has ever since then. It almost always works when you first start it especially in the mornings. Then it will go down all the way like the key is off. Always full of oil,uses none. If this could be just the sending unit, exactly where is it located and what does it look like. Any info would be helpful, Thanks.

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

I had a problem with my 93 the gauge would go to zero and the idiot light would come on, kinda freaked me out the first time. After numerous tests and troubleshooting time my ace mechanic found a bad wire going through the firewall. I am not sure exactly how or what he did, but basically said there were spare wires through the fire wall connection and he used one of them to run the signal through. Sounds different than your problem but could be the beginnings of the same thing. I would definantly get a mechanical gauge on there to check actual pressure for piece of mind.

 

[paccool]

The sending unit is located on the drivers side of the block, slightly rearward of the power steering pump. Pull the wire off and unscrew from the block. Screw the new one in and hook up the wire. I bet that solves your problem.

 

[Phil Stuart]

oil press. gauge

The oil pressure gauge in my truck had never worked since I bought it, but the little red light on the dash would. Started normally ,light would go out and figured it had sufficient oil pressure. I ordered a sending unit from Cummins and thought that would fix it. I ended up removing the instrument gauge cluster assembly and checking/cleaning all the contact points on the copper strips with a pencil eraser, especially where the nuts for the gauges made contact. Put it all back together and now the oil pressure gauge and the ammeter both work (the ammeter didn't work either by the way). found it was just dirty connections after years of service.

needless to say, I called Cummins back and cancelled the order for the pressure switch(about $35).



Phil

 

[MMiller]

I had a simular problem with my dash. By the was everything acted to me it looked like a bad ground. Pulled my dash apart, pay attention to the connector to the dash, the round one. The female connectors had gotten larger diameter and did not fit tightly around the pins. Got in there with an oring pick and distorted them a little to get a good connection, mine happened to be the ground circuit. My problem was intermentant too.