How to test oil pressure gauge?

[ab0tj]

My stock oil pressure gauge doesn't work. I have determined that there actually is oil pressure since the oil light does not turn on, and I can see oil flowing around in the head with the oil filler cap off. Anyway, how do I test the gauge itself? I tried putting both ground and 12v to the connector that is usually attached to the pressure sender, but neither makes the gauge move.

Thanks,
Alex

 

[luv2rallye]

The sender for the gauge is the big one. Grounding it's wire should move the gauge needle. If it doesn't, you have a broken/disconnected wire.

 

[ab0tj]

Okay, so I was on the right track. Thanks for the info. Now I guess I'll start looking for a broken wire since grounding it did nothing.

On a side note, anybody know what was clicking when I hooked 12V to the oil pressure wire? It sounded like a couple of relays... one in the engine compartment, and one somewhere in the dash I think. Since it was causing changes that far upstream, would that maybe point to a bad gauge instead of a broken wire?

 

[luv2rallye]

The oil pressure wire comes from the gauge and is intended to be grounded thru the sender which is a variable resistor. The other side of the gauge is power so you should not be putting +12 volts on this wire or you risk damaging something upstream (other sensors, gauges, relays, etc).

 

[DROOPY209]

same thing happened to me and my oil pressure gauge was always at the bottom and wouldnt move at all.

i went to a junk yard and tore apart a instrument cluster and took out the oil pressure gauge very carefully and put it in mine.

it fixed my oil pressure problem and im glad thats over with becuase b4 it was always dead and iw as starting to worry about that.

make sure that you get a oil pressure gauge off of the same type of car. non turbo and turbo gauges are a lil different from what i saw at the junk yard.