oil pressure gauge is possesed!

MonteC · #1 03-30-2004, 11:23 PM

well not really.
my dads 97 ram w/318 is sometimes reading no oil pressure on the gauge and then sometimes it reads at dead 40 then 41 to 43.
we replaced the oil pressure sensor, it only took me 5 mins with the "special tool" we had to buy.
now it still does it, could this be a sign of the oil pump going out because of the pressure not being constant or is the gauge to blame for being so irradic?

when the gauge is "working" the pressure drops as u rev the engine up, then after a few revs the oil pressure doesnt read at all. but we know for a fact there is oil in the engine.

whats wrong with this thing, i really need your help guys. this is my moms daily transportation.

MonteC · #2 03-31-2004, 10:13 AM

nobody???

steve05ram360 · #3 03-31-2004, 12:34 PM

I recall a post a while back mentioning the wiring to the sensor being broken. I'd have dad in the cab w/motor on and wiggle the wiring to the sensor & see if it acts up. I had a similar problem, but mine was the sensor.

uhoh · #4 03-31-2004, 01:57 PM

A buddy of mine had a similar problem. There is a valve in the oil pump that stopped working properly and prevented oil from getting to the top end. Eventually Dodge bought that truck back. In other words this could be a very bad thing. Better get it checked out.

MonteC · #5 04-01-2004, 02:25 AM

OIL PUMP, your were right UHOH the oil pump has gone bad, me and the old man are gonna replace it tommorrow, not that big of a deal.

man, everything is going bad at once: water pump, oil pump, clutch (yes its a five speed), what next?

steve05ram360 · #6 04-01-2004, 01:19 PM

How were you able to determine the pump was bad? (for my future reference :-) )

Americanflyer · #7 04-01-2004, 08:50 PM

Check the ground...many times strange electrical (I'll assume its an elctrical, not a mechanical guage) problems are caused by faulty or loose ground connections either at the connector or the guage cluster mounting. I'd throw a mechanical guage on just to compare to the electrical....if your mechanical pressure guage fluctuates, you do have a serious problem and could be anything from worn bearings to a worn or restricted oil pump..

MonteC · #8 04-02-2004, 12:37 AM

alright well this is my dads truck he buys and replaces what he wants.

i have 3 cars of my own and i do with them what i please. (i paid for all of them, the insurance every month, taxes, parts, everything. just incase u think my parents do)
(86 monte carlo ss)
(82 camaro)
(83 camaro)

we help each other out with fixing stuff but we dont tell each other what to buy or what to do with the vehicles.

well we knew the water pump was going, then we started hearing a tapping noise and i was like that sounds like a lifter or rocker arm, and he was like nah its the impeller in the water pump doing that and i was like ok.

then the oil guage started acting up we replace the sensor, still tapped and the guage still was acting funny, well he talked to the "expert" at napa and the guy convinced him it was the oil pump so my dad buys a new oil pump and water pump takes a day off of work and installs all of this stuff, i get home from school and hes got the truck running and its still making that weird ass tapping noise, BUT the oil pressure is solid and not fluctuating.

now i told him to hook up a mechanical guage first too rule out the guage before he tore apart the whole bottom end, but he didnt so i guess it was the oil pump, i dont know b/c he hasnt had it running long enough for the guage to act up. but after replacing all of that stuff that tapping noise is still there, LIKE I TOLD HIM IS PROBABLY A LIFTER OR ROCKER ARM.

so i guess the answer to your question steve is that i dont know, because i didnt get to examine it like i wanted to my dad took it apon himself and the info he got from the napa guy to "fix" the problem he thought he had.

now i could be wrong the oil pump could have been going bad. ill find out soon enough when my mom starts driving the truck agian tommorrow.

american flyer u might think im bsing u but everything u said, i did mention to him when he was trying to diagnos the problem.

and while im on my rant i guess ill tell u about his "miracle" synthetic oil, amsoil he swears up and down that its the best that it wont leave sludge in the bottom of the pan like regular oil. well he said that when he pulled the oil pan off that there was SLUDGE in the bottom of the pan, when i took off the pan on my Monte Carlo SS with 160k there was no sludge and i have been using castrol gtx for 60k and the owner before that ran non-synthetic oil. go figure!

man, tipical dad's, thinks he knows everthing and doesnt want to admit when hes wrong.

steve05ram360 · #9 04-02-2004, 02:33 PM

Sludge in the pan??? humm, tore off the pan on my jeep 318 last summer (ran mobil 1 for 100k mi) & found no sludge and the motor was suprisingly clean on the inside. Mobil 1 for me!! Plus it's available almost everywhere.

Americanflyer · #10 04-02-2004, 04:18 PM

I would never accuse anyone of bs..sorry if it came off that way..only tried to offer a little help...glad you got it fixed.