I notice when I start my '97 2.3 that the oil gauge immediately snaps to midscale and never moves. Is this similar to the "oil pressure" gauge in the Mazda Miata - which is basically "binary"? Somehow I can't believe that the oil pressure regulator is so good that the needle never moves.

Inquiring minds want to know...

Thanks

Steve

 

No it is not :(

 

Didn't think so. Thanks.

 

I have never seen it really move while driving or anything but this one time after i changed my oil i had a terrible leak from the new filter and the gauge read low pressure.

 

Yeh it will read low but only at extreme low pressures

 

Sort of an Idiot-Light Gauge… LoL.

 

At first start, the needle in my truck moves up just under the middle and then it goes to the middle... my father in law, who is a mech, said it was fine.

 

I like my Ford vehicles, but their gauges sure suck the big one. Nothing but idiot lights.

 

^^ lol. True, tho

 

yea. ive seen it drop once. i had been driving for a few hours. went to stop at a toll. i assume the oil sloshed or something, and the gauge went down and back up.

my mustangs kinda worked. the needle would move, but there were no accurate representations to what the needle was actually pointing at. sooo i got all new autometer gauges :)

 

Mine is sticking ,have to tap dash to get it to move

 

Somewhere on the interwebs there is a way to make it work like a real one. You toss a resistor in and change the pressure sending unit and then it acts normal.

 

Correct me If I'm wrong but isn't that what Bob (rwenzing) did?

 

Dont know for sure, but i'll try to dig it up later when I get off work if someone else doesn't by then.

EDIT:

Found it... http://rogueperformance.com/oilsw.html

 

Bob did it on an 03, I forgot the OP's truck was a 97

 

It would be sweet if one of the methods works on my '00. Haven't tried either one yet.

 

My 04 only has a gas and temp gauge and it kinda pisses me off

 

so will this mod work on an 03?

 

Yes, but it is not just putting a resistor in. I am pretty sure you have to get an earlier temp gage (around 1996), replace your gage with that, then you can install the resistor.

 

I have the similar prob with my 95 2.3..it usually reads in the middle but noticed that it drops to between half and low at start ups and then moves to just a hair under half after i drive it for awhile....i was thinkin maybe my press switch is bad or maybe the pick-up screen may be slighty clogged..haven't checked either yet but good to see other people other than me with same issue.

 

Looks like that is a fix as well as part #'s for a V-6...will that work on a 4 banger also?

 

The oil pressure gage is real on my 87 2.3 it follows the same range and the mech oil pressure gage i have.

 

I want to modify the sending unit on my 2003 so that it works like the autometer gauge in my car and shows a true oil pressure reading. Has anyone done this before? The gauge in your write up is not the same as the one in the cluster of my 2003.

 

Swap the OP gauge movement from a 95 Ranger into the 2003 cluster and drive it with a common PS60 sending unit.

The PS60 should fit a 3.0 pretty easily.

On the 4.0 SOHC, the PS60 is too big to mount directly in the stock sender location near the A/C compressor. It might work with a short extension pipe or might need to be remote mounted.

 

I want to do this on my 2003, which is a 2.3 dohc. When I bought the truck (used) it had a sender with the electrical end broken off, and it was leaking oil. I have since replaced that with a late model taurus sender which works but it is either "yes there is pressure" or "no there is no pressure".

I don't want to take the cluster apart again (just got it back together after putting in 90 LEDs) but if this mod requires this then yes I can do that once I decide to change something inside of the cluster again.