What just happened???!!??

[piercetruckie]

Got off duty this morning at 5am and went to start my truck. Truck had been sitting for 3 days and it was 50 degrees here this morning. Got a single click, gauges flashed and then nothing. Tried two more times before giving up and looking around the station for a battery charger. Couldn't find one, so got one of the other guys to give me a jump. Truck started right up. Waited a few minutes, put everything up, closed hood. Kicked truck into high idle and started packing up all my work gear etc. Got in the truck a few minutes later and started to head home. Got about halfway home and noticed the oil pressure gauge was zero. A little panic set in but I wasn't running hot. Thought maybe an electrical glitch from the morning etc. So at the risk of not starting again, I pulled over, turned truck off, checked oil level and restarted. Still no oil pressure on gauge. I rolled the dice and cruised home, paying attention to temp gauge which never got above 200. Its about 10 miles to my house and truck ran fine. Just no oil pressure on gauge. Thought it was odd the truck didn't have any ding or bell or warning since the oil pressure gauge was at zero. Could the gauge be shorted out? Any ideas where the sending unit may be and how to check it? Or could this be a possible low voltage reaction and I just need to replace both batteries? Or something else or worse? Thoughts?? PLease......

 

[B.G. Smith]

I would remove and clean the battery terminals on both batteries, sounds like a bad connection. bg

 

[LHarper]

Might be time for batteries. These trucks do not like low batteries.

 

[Stark_Ent9802]

I had a Battery Short out on my truck that caused some gauge issues. Replaced the batteries and all was good.

 

[DavidC]

Might be the sending unit. If it is still in the same place it is above the ECM on the Drivers side. Mine crapped out a few weeks ago, ordered another from genosgarage.com. Wallet was about $90.00 lighter. I really do not see batteries affecting only one gauge but I guess you never know these days.

Dave

 

[piercetruckie]

So I cleaned all the posts and battery connections and put my big charger on each battery one at a time. I noticed neither really needed a charge but put them on a low charge at 10A for 90 minutes each. While I waited I talked to a few diesel shop owners I'm friends with and didn't get too many ideas. Then I searched the Cummins Forum and found a repetitive problem from several owners. Apparently when you jump start these trucks, the 6.7's specifically, the oil pressure gauge doesn't like it. One guy stated he jumped his truck and noticed the oil pressure gauge was at zero afterward. When he jumped it again the gauge came back to life. Another stated he left his batteries disconnected for 10 minutes and his gauge worked again. In any case mine had been disconnected for way longer than that so after reading that I reconnected my batteries, covered them in anti corrosive spray and started my truck. The oil pressure gauge works and I had no problems the rest of the day. It should be noted the positive connection on the passenger side battery was covered in corrosion when this problem started so for now I am chalking the no start up to bad corrosion on that connection and the faulty oil pressure gauge up to the jump start.

 

[Hoefler]

This is the classic tell tale you have a bad battery or batteries. Have them tested. I have never had any OEM battery last more than 2-2 1/2 years in any of my 4 Ram trucks.