i believe this question has been asked many times, so im sorry if its redundant, but my oil pressure gauge started to jump around today, it'd drop, then go back up, and just kept doing it for a couple of seconds, but when it has been running for a while, it'll stop. any1 have any suggestions?

 

The stock guage isn't worth **** not reliable at all go aftermarket .

 

The stock gauge works fine. Your oil presure sending unit is going bad its a common problem with the FD's. Call Ray at malloy he has them in stock.

 

yup. replace the oil pressure sending unit. it's screwed in just under the oil filter pedestal.

 

Before you dish out $75 for a new unit, try taking it off and cleaning it. The reason the pressure on the gauge is reading low is because of old caked on oil on the sender unit.

 

Take it off, clean it, maybe resolder the electrical connection. Otherwise replace it.

 

alrighty, appreciate the posts.

 

make sure you have oil...if your oil level sender wire is busted and you dont know it has low oil..and there Is low oil..the gauge will bounce like a bitch, because of the spurts of oil the sending unit is getting...my sending unit for the oil level wasnt connected cause of a bad wire and i had an oil leak, and when the gauge started jumping i new it was time...

 

wrong

 

Had the same problem not long ago. Just clean off the electrical connection at the sender unit. Scuff the post clean and use dialectic grease to prevent the problem in the future. And no there is nothing wrong with the unit. It's very reliable.

 

appreciate it jd.

 

czseven i just want every1 to know, that u were correct, the stock gauge isnt worth a damn, i did order a new gauge, and i have SUPREME oil pressure, its outstanding how good the pressure is.. thanks a TON MAN!! listen to this czseven people, he knows whats good!!! =)

 

No, he isn't correct. The stock gauge is 99.98% of the time, still in good working order. It is almost always the sender.

Glad you fixed the problem though.

 

Agree with Rynberg. Changed the sending unit and all is well. Cleaning the old one did nothing.

 

Mine does the same thing, Ill try and clean the unit before I get a new one

 

sbnrx rynberg said i should clean my old sending unit, u see, i thought that would be great, u know, save time and money.. but, that would be only a temporary fix, why go through all the trouble, to get the sending out of the car, clean it, and in another 3 weeks, it goes out again, why not just go ahead and get another one, w/ a new gauge, new sending unit, all brand new stuff, and KNOW that it will work, and thanks rynberg, appreciate it man, it was a rough ride, but i managed to do it, i added, a pillar to my car.. im waiting on my 3rd gauge, my step dad's gonna be selling his air/fuel gauge to me, when he gets his wideband, so for now, i just got a new boost gauge, oil pressure, and an empty spot.. =/ but, just so u guys know, when i changed the sending unit, my oil pressure was fantastic!!

 

too many commas!!!

 

What should you use to clean the old sender unit?

 

I would use basic solvent. Or just wipe it all nice and clean, and fiddle with the connector to make sure the contacts maintain good hard pressure.

As for the theory of buying new, it's false economy. If you clean it and hit it with protectant, it will last a lot longer than 3 weeks. It takes more time to buy a new sender than the added minute(s?) you'll need to clean your old one.

Dave

 

Could a bad sending unit cause the gauge to read very high?
My recently revived RX7 was telling me it was running at about 110lbs when under very light acceleration. It was around 55-60 lbs at idle.

 

probably not. is it a brand new motor? maybe your bearing clearences are just really tight. on all the motors iv done (normal piston guys) the oil pressure was alrways a little high until it broke in. takes time for things to relax. i might be wrong though, on if the sender can cause a false reading in that way

 

How do you replace the sending unit? Won't oil spill out?

Do you just unscrew the whole thing?

 

Yes, you just unscrew it. Don't forget to unplug the wire going to it first . Only a very small amount of oil will drip out. The oil passage going to the sending unit is small in diameter and elevated from the oil pan so oil is not going to pour out. You'll have to use a wrench at the fitting to get it off (I forget the size).

 

Thanks Sbnrx7!

 

$83 bucks from Ray @ Malloy. Called him today about one for my car.