Oil pressure gauge sensor questions [merged] oil sender

sinracing · 02-26-2003, 05:29 PM

All oil sender threads are merged here.

going down the road today i noticed my oil pressure gauge was reading nothing or zero depending on how you look at it..on my stock gauge..

i immediatly pulled over to check my oil and found that it and the rest of my car was fine..its still running fine and everything so i came home to check vfaq.com and it said that my sensor could be the culprit..

so my question is there a website or link to a page that will show my hw to check my sensor??? and or replace what is needed to read my oil pressure... or shuold i just say #### it and get a aftermarket gauge right now because its more accurate anyways?..

yeah im new around here so go easy on me..but i didnt think this was a dumb question or anything so thats why i put it here..

1stGENracer · 02-27-2003, 06:17 AM

I was having the same problem. Ok check this real fast, and get back to me. You know where your oil filter is? The sensor is right there by it. Check and see if the wire came off, I had this happen a few times, the wire wouldn't stay on. I had to take some pliers to the connector and smash it a little, and then put it back on, that fixed my problem.

laserblue · 02-27-2003, 07:13 AM

At the oil pressure sensor.... If the wire IS*** connected, pull off the wire connector and ground it to any nearby metal for a couple seconds while a friend [or enemy] looks at the gauge. The needle should move to full scale [high pressure]. If it does then the sensor is toast.... If not then there is a wiring problem or the gauge is bad. That gauge is a simple thing. It has a bi-metal part with 'resistance' wire wrapped around it. When current flows thru the wire it heats up the bi-metal which flexes [bends] and in turn moves the needle... .. .. Very primitive!

***That wire connector is known to fall off frequently since the connector is this kind of weird sideways slide on thing.

Let me know.............

All this info applies to my car........ Yours may be different, but I have no way of knowing since I don't have ANY idea what car/year you have. Please update your profile so that the 'car' shows in the left panel of your posts!!!!

steve · 02-27-2003, 10:44 AM

Here's how the wire attaches to the sender. It's hard to describe but easy to see.

Steve

98TsiAWD · 02-27-2003, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by steve
Here's how the wire attaches to the sender. It's hard to describe but easy to see.

Steve

got oil leaks?

steve · 02-27-2003, 11:41 AM

That's not my car just a picture I found and kept since the question comes up so often.

Pictures of my engine are in my gallery.

Steve

joegengsta · 05-19-2003, 05:29 PM

where would this be at? pplllleeaasse help, i really want to install my oil pressure guage to rice it up, thanks

Defiant · 05-20-2003, 02:14 PM

By the oil filter base, look for the wire.

My96 · 06-02-2003, 08:58 AM

like the title says is there such thing as an oil pressure sensor that would shut the car off if there wasn't enough oil pressure detected? something along the lines of a knock sensor???? i have a 96 n/t

a351must2 · 06-02-2003, 09:52 AM

There isn't one stock, but you can make one usually using a Hobbs switch to kill the fuel pump or ignition when the oil pressure drops below a certain psi. I don't know how well it would work on an EFI engine, but I've used it on carbureted engines where you don't need fuel pressure to start the car since the float bowls are already full.

SpyderX · 06-25-2003, 07:54 PM

Question, The stupid oil light on my 1997 Eclipse Turbo Spyder (GS-T) seems to being going on. WHen I'm stopped, the light will be on, as soon as I rev the engine a little, the light goes away completely. It won't go on while I'm driving. If I'm slowin down, and put it in neutral, the light will go on again. Now it might be low pressure at low rpms, but keep in mind, that as soon as I kick even the slightest rev's, the light goes away. Also my stock oil pressure guage is broken, I have a new Defi Oil Pressure guage, I just needed to wait for the A-Pillar pod to come in. I just did an oil change, full synthetic, because I saw the light going on, I thought maybe the viscosity of the oil was breaking down, but the light still goes on. My brother suggested the oil sender switch. I was wondering if anyone had any similar problems that they could help me.

SpyderX · 06-26-2003, 10:06 AM

Anyones input will be greatly appreciated.

wrcruz · 06-27-2003, 09:34 AM

You are right, you are having low pressure at idle. Wait untill you get the after market and the oil pressure should be around 15 but no less than 12 at idle and 70 when crusing. If is less than that then your oil pump is going bad.
I have a 97 spyder GST that had the same problem. Bad oil pump. My idle pressure was 9psi on aftermarket gauge.

heavyD · 06-27-2003, 12:51 PM

Low oil pressure isn't just caused by a bad oil pump. It is possibly from the engine internals being worn out, leaks, and the most probable reason being worn piston rings.

SpyderX · 06-27-2003, 03:23 PM

Did you change the oil pump yourself, or did you have it done. If you had it done, how much did it cost ya. If you did it yourself, how much of a pain in the ass was it. You don't think it could be the ol sending switch? Cause that would be alot easier

What seals do you think are shot, I just replaced the valve cover gasket. Also, you have an aftermarket oil pressure guage, I have the Defi guages, The instructions really don't say that much, how did you put that in, or if you could link me to somewhere that tells me step by step how, cause i've never done that before.

kpz11 · 08-07-2003, 01:26 AM

Can you use the autometer sender to send the signal to both the autometer and the stock guage? Or is it better to have them hooked up to differnt senders? Or should I just put the autometer sender in place of the stock sender and have a dead guage in my cluster?
Thnaks
KP

98TsiAWD · 08-07-2003, 01:37 AM

No, aftermarket senders wont work with the stock guage. It will just be a dead guage if you put an aftermarket one in. If you hook an aftermarket oil pressure gauge to the stock sensor, its reads way off.

Defiant · 08-07-2003, 04:51 AM

You should be able to hook up your aftermarket sender either on the oil filter housing, or on the head at the end of a plugged gallery. Or, you can put a T where the factory gauge is.

GSXRolla · 09-10-2003, 09:52 AM

Ok, I'm pretty stumped here. The oil pressure sensor broke off in the hole (in the oil cooler), and I have no idea how I should try and get it out. At first I was thinking an EZ out, but I'm a little worried about drilling into this thing risking damaging threads, and also about getting metal shavings in there. Any ideas on how to remove this thing?

GVTalon · 09-10-2003, 12:50 PM

I think an EZ out is your only real solution. You may want to pull the oil housing off the engine, but this is a pretty involved process since there is a bolt holding the housing in place behind the timing cover. You'd also need a new housing gasket as when you pull it off, it may tear. If you don't want to pull the housing, use a small drill bit to open the hole, but not so big that you'd damage the threads. Also make sure you use the appropriate EZ out. The key to getting the broken piece out is heating it up with a torch. Watch what you heat though, there are a lot of things to burn in that area.

Defiant · 09-10-2003, 02:15 PM

Put grease on the drill bit to hold the shavings when you drill it for the EZ-out. Drill a little, wipe off the grease and chips, re-grease, and try again. Also, for that little bitch of a fitting, the screw removers that Sears has just might do the trick.

Oh, and careful heating that- one of the flammable things there is the, uh, oil.

lostsurfer4536 · 12-18-2003, 03:21 PM

Oil Pressure gauge isnt reading anything....how hard to change the sender??