Oil Pressure Gauge/Sensor issue?
#1
Oil Pressure Gauge/Sensor issue?
I just bought a 2001 Ranger with a 2.5L engine. It seems very sound mechanically, the only issue is the oil pressure gauge/sensor.
It doesn't seem like the vehicle is running poorly, but according to the gauge there is sometimes a major issue with the oil pressure. A lot of times the gauge will either sit at the lowest point or bounce from the lowest point to the middle, then after the vehicle has been running a little while, it will sit right in the middle where it should be.
I am just wondering if anyone else has had this problem or what your thoughts are on my problem. Is it just a bad sensor or gauge, or is something seriously wrong with my oil pump/delivery system?
It doesn't seem like the vehicle is running poorly, but according to the gauge there is sometimes a major issue with the oil pressure. A lot of times the gauge will either sit at the lowest point or bounce from the lowest point to the middle, then after the vehicle has been running a little while, it will sit right in the middle where it should be.
I am just wondering if anyone else has had this problem or what your thoughts are on my problem. Is it just a bad sensor or gauge, or is something seriously wrong with my oil pump/delivery system?
#4
#5
The offending part is actually called the Oil Pressure Sending Switch. Your oil pressure gauge has two possible needle positions: no oil pressure or somewhere around 40~50% of full scale. It is controlled by an on/off pressure switch that is supposed to trigger at some minimal oil pressure around 6 PSI. So, in effect, your "gauge" is just an idiot light with a sweep hand.
There are a lot of bad sending switches out there that trigger at too high a pressure and erroneously report zero pressure when there is no problem. This can cause the gauge to hang at zero or jump between zero and midscale, especially after a cold start or at idle. Chances are that your switch is bad.
It would be a good idea to get it replaced ASAP to get your OP gauge working properly. You never know when you might have a REAL oil pressure problem.
There are a lot of bad sending switches out there that trigger at too high a pressure and erroneously report zero pressure when there is no problem. This can cause the gauge to hang at zero or jump between zero and midscale, especially after a cold start or at idle. Chances are that your switch is bad.
It would be a good idea to get it replaced ASAP to get your OP gauge working properly. You never know when you might have a REAL oil pressure problem.
#6
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FRXLT
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01-31-2012 10:05 AM