Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Please help!! Lost oil pressure

[Okie-Go]

On the 15 minute driveto school my gage bell hollered and said check gauges. Oil pressure had went completely to nil. I looked under the engine and the plug was still in as I get a new oil pan tomorrow because of the leaky plug. I drove the other two blocks to school and parked it. What happened? I do have the extended warranty plus the cummins has the 100,000 mile warranty. BTW, truck has right at 54,000 on it.

 

[lschultz]

Its happened to quite a few. I had a 98 and it happened to me several times. Quit working and then start again. Finally took it in and they put something in with there puter. Went nearly a yr before it did it again on me going to work one morning. Figured it was same thing again. But this was the real one. Drove farther and it got nosier so I pull over to side of rode and its making a hell of noise and smoking. Pull dipstick off and nothing. Oil all over motor. Found at gasket blew on valve lifter cover on side of engine and out went the new oil. They put new engine in but were going to use my head and turbo(something not right with this picture). So we work out deal we both can live with and I traded it for a 2000. I did not know they were still having those problems so get it taken care of.

 

[Soot4Life]

sensor fails.......

Been there... ... ... done that! It's most likely the oil pressure sensor in the engine. It's a do it yourself job. Check the archives under oil pressure sensor or sender. You'll likely find all the info you need.

 

[JR2]

Okie - Check the oil, if its full the sender is the problem. If its low or out of oil you have a problem (like my grasp of the obvious). The service manager at the local dealer told me its a very common problem and has never seen a Diesel that did not have oil press, said its always the sender.

 

[kluther]

mine did the same thing. cycling the key can bring it back. i needed a reflash done to the ecm. there is a service bulliten for this exact issue. NOTE three days later i noticed my oil pressure was a consant 60 psi or so even when it wasn`t running. the ecm holds the last stored press if the gauge failed at start up. i also heard the inj. pump will not continue to run if oil press. isn`t getting to the pump within several sec. good luck at the stealer.





dodge tsb



http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2001/09-001-01.htm

 

[MJawsman]

I thought when mine did this that I would just put in a new sensor. Went to Cummins locally and bought the part number that I was told to get (from a previous thread). Well it didn't fit. Seems the electrical connections have changed over time. So I put a bit of dielectric grease on the contacts and plugged the old one back in. 3000 miles later, it's worked just fine. You might want to try this cheap trick before buying an $80 sensor.

 

[Texas Diesel]

okie, DONT GET THE REFLASH!!!! It is a scam by DC to save a few bucks. What the reflash does is tell the PCM to ignor the sender if it reports oil pressure out of spec. I had the reflash done and then my gauge would stay on 40PSI hot, cold, idle, red line. I went back and complained then the mechanic got permission form Star to check the sender, surprise, the sender was bad. The reflash cant be undone :{ Now my oil pressure "gauge" is nothing but decoration. If you go in, INSIST they check the sender first, this is opposite what the TSB says. Buy one yourself. I took a failed sender and plugged it in to the harness,<<< with the sender hanging in mid air >>> it is a 3 wire type incorporating the ground, guess what? The gauge read a happy 40PSI.

 

[mikel]

I'll agree w/ Texas Diesel, stay away from the reflash if at all possible. There's no point in having an oil pressure gauge if it doesn't tell you what the oil pressure actually is.



good luck,

mike

 

[kluther]

i had the reflash done a year ago. my guage acts like it is working and reading like it did prior. so the above statment you say my gauge no longer works or works correct? can you get it flashed back? ???

 

[Shooter]

WARNING******WARNING^^^^^^WARNING

WARNING>>>>>WARNING******** WARNING



DO NOT GET THE ECM/ PCM REFLASH FOR THE OIL PRESSURE !!!!!!



Go to Cummins and get a oil pressure sending unit and install yourself. If the stealer gets it they will reprogram the ecm/pcm to ignore any pressure reading below 40# or so and always show min of 35 or 40 when the engine is running what ever the phonied pre programed pressure. This will mask any potential problems with low op at idle. They just want to get you to 100k as cheap as they can.



If you have oil in the the pan you have oil pressure.

 

[Rd.Runnr]

oil light on

Okie, mine did the same thing last year. I nearly had a heart attack. Pulled off the road, called the dealer & spoke to the service writer I have used for 6 years. He said to ignore it, that he was familiar with this (it was a communication problem in the computor) & he had never heard of a faulty oil pump in a Cummins . For several weeks it would come & go, & as suddenly as it started acting up--it starting working perfectly. After approx. 10k miles it has only happened twice, besides, you have the warranty. :

 

[Okie-Go]

Thanks for the help. Will let yall know what I find out in a couple of days. A good friend of mine works there and I saw him write on the ticket "Do not reflash, check sending unit. " I should be ok.

 

[Texas Diesel]

Ask your friend if he knows how to undo my reflash? Or where there is a scan tool that it's software predates the oil pressure reflash. PLEASE

 

[Ethdee]

Originally posted by Okie-Go

Thanks for the help. Will let yall know what I find out in a couple of days. A good friend of mine works there and I saw him write on the ticket "Do not reflash, check sending unit. " I should be ok.

I'm curious as to how it worked out. I just had the problem appear in my truck, and my serial number is after the range listed in the TSB. I have a general wariness of having the ECM reprogrammed, so I'm quite interested.



Thanks,



Ethdee

 

[Okie-Go]

Worked out just fine. At a red light the pressure falls as normal. When I take off the pressure increases. Works like a charm. I will try to contact my friend and see if they can be unflashed so to speak.

 

[Ethdee]

What worked out?

Originally posted by Okie-Go: Worked out just fine.

I was curious as to what exactly was done to fix it? Sending unit replacement?



Ethdee

 

[Okie-Go]

The sending unit was replaced. Cost me 50. 00 I also got a new oil pan for the same 50. I had them both taken care of for the same deductible on the warranty.