oil pressure low...

[93fordturbo]

haven't been on in a while i have been really busy. i know its just a dummy guage... but for the past couple months... the oil has been on O or N on NORMAL. but more recently now it goes below the N. and last night it was on Low... way below the NORMAL. It was almost like the guage wasn't working, or like it was disconnected, but sometimes when i open the truck up on the interstate, it goes back up to N or O. Sometimes it even goes back to the middle of NORMAL. There is enough oil in the truck, i checked. whats going on? or is it nothing.

 

[Dieselcrawler]

Either gauge or sending unit. Most likely sending unit





Hehe I said unit

 

[RLDSL]

you have a sending unit that relies on a rubbing electric contact and a spring that is near 22 years old to provide a proper reading. Go pickup a new sender and your reading should go back to normal. Don't cheap out on senders or you will wind up with a worse reading than you have now

 

[93fordturbo]

ok. i have never done a sending unit. what is all involved or where can you direct me to find out how to do it. how long of a job is it and any suggestions on what kinda sending unit i need? how much would it cost? thanks in advance guys...

 

[damac]

I put a manual gage on our truck when we got it a couple years ago. All was well until a few weeks ago. Noticed some drips in the middle carpet. Investigated and we have a pod on top of the dash and the line developed a leak at the fitting. Causing a steady drip and allot of oil loss.

It pooled up in my radio and flooded it and dripped over onto the heater controls, etc.

Thats what I get for trusting a cheap gage and I will never put one of those in my cars again. They have electrical units if you shop around.

 

[snaponprofile]

Oil pressure sender is behind the CDR on non turbo models. Just unhook the wire, remove the sender and reverse for installation.

 

[93fordturbo]

have banks sidewinder

 

[RLDSL]

ok. i have never done a sending unit. what is all involved or where can you direct me to find out how to do it. how long of a job is it and any suggestions on what kinda sending unit i need? how much would it cost? thanks in advance guys...

The oil sender you want to get from IH or ford. It is located at the rear top of teh block back by the bellhousing. there is 1 wire attached to it and it has kind of a bell shaped housing to the sender. kind of a pain to get to. use thread sealer on the threads of the new sender.

As previously mentioned, replacing with a real oil pressure gauge is also an option ( or you can add a gauge in addition for redundancy ) but if running a mechanical gauge get a high end gauge and either run an isolator or run aeroquip hose straight to the gauge like they do in big trucks to avoid oil leaks in the cab. an electric gauge would have another sender but with a more accurate gauge and you would just run wires instead of hose, it's just not quite as accurate.

 

[gatorman21218]

It doesnt mean a daggone thing. As stated the sending unit is a switch. If there is pressure, it sends a signal to the gauge to move to the "normal" range.

In layman's terms, its like a light switch. It doesnt matter if you barely flick the switch or turn it on with a upper cut, the lights dont get any brighter or dimmer.

As for the sending unit, its back behind the drivers side valve cover. I believe its 1/4 NPT but might want to double check. anyway I used a "T" fitting and ran copper tubing into the cab where I have my gauge. I also put a ball valve on the TEE in case of any leakage. However S-W is about the best gauge you can buy, and I have no problems with pumping oil and fuel into the cab.

However if thats not your cup of tea then you can use an electric sending unit in place of the copper tubing.

 

[93fordturbo]

ok, do i have to tear the dash down? maybe a dumb question... but is it the whole tubing setup or just on the motor end. sorry for stupid question, i just have never dealt with it before

 

[jimmyB]

sending unit (switch)

Mine was sitting at about the N on the gage, tapped on it with a wrench and it jumped up to the M. So i replaced it.

 

[gatorman21218]

Well it depends on what you want to do. So far it seems like you have 3 options.

1) A fully mechanical gauge. Like I said you "T" into the port and run tubing from that port to the back of a gauge that install in the cab. I recommend under the dash as its easily accessible and you wont ruin your radio if it leaks. there is also an option of using an isolator, which is like a diaphram that has oil on one side and an inert fluid on the other. so if the gauge leaks then it will only be a few drops of fluid not a steady stream of oil. more reliable than electric but has its risks. Would I plumb a mechanical oil gauge into a Lincoln? heck no. but an old work truck with rubber floor mats that only I drive? Yes, yes I would.

2) An electric gauge. buy a gauge/sender kit. mount the gauge anywhere in the cab and plug the sender into the port on the engine.

3)buy a sender from international like rdsl said. this i dont know how to make work correctly. but even if you go this route, you still will be reading PSI in letters, not numbers.

 

[snaponprofile]

have banks sidewinder

Sender is one inch ahead of the braided oil sender line.

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[CaptTom]

Sender is one inch ahead of the braided oil sender line.

You must be registered for see images attach

Just wanted to inform you that you're getting rust on my new turbo!

 

[icanfixall]

Just wanted to inform you that you're getting rust on my new turbo!

Great pic of the location. So much easier to get at than the oem position way back behind the intake and cdr...