Intermittent Oil Pressure

[Willys LJ]

I've done some searching around but haven't run into any threads about what my LJ is currently doing.

I went to start it about a week ago with the air temp in the upper 20F and right off the bat, no oil pressure. Never had any kind of oil pressure issues before. Shut it down, restarted and still no oil pressure. I figured I'd give it a few days until the weather got warmer before trying to sort it out. 2 days later, the temps were in the 40s so I went out, started it up and the oil pressure was fine. I put about 50 miles on it that day with no more issues. The next day (last weekend), the snow storm hit and I let it set until about Monday afternoon with the temps back in the 20s and when I started it up, again no oil pressure again. At this point I'm figuring maybe the oil pressure sender has gotten old enough to not like freezing temps. The roads finally got good enough for me to get out in the wife's minivan and go to NAPA where I bought a new oil pressure switch. It was in the mid 40s yesterday, but back in the mid 20s today so I haven't installed the new sender yet.

Anyone have any ideas of what else I should look at when I get back out there on it? The old switch is still on the motor until I get thawed out enough to swap them out. I'm only running it for a few seconds with no oil pressure showing. Not risking the bearings any more than I have to. I'm hoping that it's just the sender going bad.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

 

[macleanflood]

Need a mechanical gauge on their first to verify it's indeed not a sensor issue.

I've got through a bunch of oil pressure sensors and none of them last long.

-Mac

 

[Moglocker]

I've done some searching around but haven't run into any threads about what my LJ is currently doing.

I went to start it about a week ago with the air temp in the upper 20F and right off the bat, no oil pressure. Never had any kind of oil pressure issues before. Shut it down, restarted and still no oil pressure. I figured I'd give it a few days until the weather got warmer before trying to sort it out. 2 days later, the temps were in the 40s so I went out, started it up and the oil pressure was fine. I put about 50 miles on it that day with no more issues. The next day (last weekend), the snow storm hit and I let it set until about Monday afternoon with the temps back in the 20s and when I started it up, again no oil pressure again. At this point I'm figuring maybe the oil pressure sender has gotten old enough to not like freezing temps. The roads finally got good enough for me to get out in the wife's minivan and go to NAPA where I bought a new oil pressure switch. It was in the mid 40s yesterday, but back in the mid 20s today so I haven't installed the new sender yet.

Anyone have any ideas of what else I should look at when I get back out there on it? The old switch is still on the motor until I get thawed out enough to swap them out. I'm only running it for a few seconds with no oil pressure showing. Not risking the bearings any more than I have to. I'm hoping that it's just the sender going bad.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

I think you have a sensor that don’t work when it’s cold,but if I started it one time with zero oil pressure,I would immediately use a manual gauge to verify.

 

[JKP]

The 05 "sensor" is just a switch, only way to know your oil pressure is with a test gauge. Switch is set at 6 PSI.

 

[Willys LJ]

Finally got warm enough (over 40F) for me to get out and swap out the switch. My fancy oil pressure sender socket is AWOL (I haven't had to use it since about 2003), but a 25mm combo wrench worked good at getting it out. Had more trouble out of the electrical connector than anything. I hate those things, especially when they've been connected for over 20 years. Long story short, it's showing good oil pressure and I'm going to retest tomorrow morning when it gets back down in the 20s again.

 

[Strizzo]

I've done some searching around but haven't run into any threads about what my LJ is currently doing.

I went to start it about a week ago with the air temp in the upper 20F and right off the bat, no oil pressure. Never had any kind of oil pressure issues before. Shut it down, restarted and still no oil pressure. I figured I'd give it a few days until the weather got warmer before trying to sort it out. 2 days later, the temps were in the 40s so I went out, started it up and the oil pressure was fine. I put about 50 miles on it that day with no more issues. The next day (last weekend), the snow storm hit and I let it set until about Monday afternoon with the temps back in the 20s and when I started it up, again no oil pressure again. At this point I'm figuring maybe the oil pressure sender has gotten old enough to not like freezing temps. The roads finally got good enough for me to get out in the wife's minivan and go to NAPA where I bought a new oil pressure switch. It was in the mid 40s yesterday, but back in the mid 20s today so I haven't installed the new sender yet.

Anyone have any ideas of what else I should look at when I get back out there on it? The old switch is still on the motor until I get thawed out enough to swap them out. I'm only running it for a few seconds with no oil pressure showing. Not risking the bearings any more than I have to. I'm hoping that it's just the sender going bad.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

Mine has been doing this in colder weather. Engine doesn't make any sounds like there is zero pressure. shut off and start back up and the gauge comes to life like normal.

I know the 05-06 is just a switch, but my gauge moves up and down with rpms and is lower at idle hot than cold. Is this faked?

 

[OldBuzzard]

I know the 05-06 is just a switch, but my gauge moves up and down with rpms and is lower at idle hot than cold. Is this faked?

Yep, even worse than an idiot light, it's an idiot gauge. The PCM is lying to us.

 

[JKP]

Mine has been doing this in colder weather. Engine doesn't make any sounds like there is zero pressure. shut off and start back up and the gauge comes to life like normal.

I know the 05-06 is just a switch, but my gauge moves up and down with rpms and is lower at idle hot than cold. Is this faked?

Yep. Dumbest thing ever.

 

[Willys LJ]

Yep, even worse than an idiot light, it's an idiot gauge. The PCM is lying to us.

Now this is something I'm hearing for the first time. I'm not a fan of having aftermarket gauges hanging off the bottom of the dash, but I'm thinking having a mechanical oil gauge mounted is most likely an excellent idea

 

[macleanflood]

But I'm thinking having a mechanical oil gauge mounted is most likely an excellent idea

Yes and no.

I wouldn't run an oil line into the cab... especially with plastic hose.

I would (and I did) install a Glowshift pressure gauge with electronic sensor. I also got the combo temperature and pressure but it's not necessary...I installed an oil cooler/heater and more or less proved it's primarily a heater.

-Mac

 

[Willys LJ]

Yes and no.

I wouldn't run an oil line into the cab... especially with plastic hose.

I would (and I did) install a Glowshift pressure gauge with electronic sensor. I also got the combo temperature and pressure but it's not necessary...I installed an oil cooler/heater and more or less proved it's primarily a heater.

View attachment 670436

-Mac

I don't like the nylon tube either. I had one blowout in a VW Rabbit Diesel on I-40 years ago. It made quite the mess. Usually if I'm going mechanical, I'm using copper tubing or oil resistant braided hose depending on the state of my wallet.

 

[BlueJayATL]

Similar to @Willys LJ I don't love the idea of having gauges below the dash. At the same time I'd prefer not to always have them in my field of vision.

I'd like to run the connectors directly behind the instrument panel where they would sit along the bottom of the windshield *when plugged in*. In other words, I'd like to plug in the Glowshift gauges when I want that info, and unplug them when I don't.

@macleanflood , would plugging/ unplugging the gauges cause issues?

 

[macleanflood]

@macleanflood , would plugging/ unplugging the gauges cause issues?

It's just a few plugs. I tucked mine in the tray in front of my shifter wedged in-between the dash and shifter console. Not in my line of sight

Need someone to 3d print a gauge cluster for that spot. I want a second one for fuel pressure.

-Mac

 

[hear]

Need someone to 3d print a gauge cluster for that spot. I want a second one for fuel pressure.

@jscherb should take this on. .

I've got an idea of how to recess 4 (or more?) gauge pods into the top of the cluster bezel but it requires a knowledge of conic sections that eludes me. But I'm about 95% sure it would work great and not obstruct the view at all. There's a company that does a "custom bezel" that has a gauge pod kinda out to the side that looks promising conceptually, but I think the general opinion was that it was 3d printed and not very well at that.

There is a flawlessly executed solution out there, we just haven't seen it yet.

 

[jscherb]

@jscherb should take this on. .

I've got an idea of how to recess 4 (or more?) gauge pods into the top of the cluster bezel but it requires a knowledge of conic sections that eludes me. But I'm about 95% sure it would work great and not obstruct the view at all. There's a company that does a "custom bezel" that has a gauge pod kinda out to the side that looks promising conceptually, but I think the general opinion was that it was 3d printed and not very well at that.

There is a flawlessly executed solution out there, we just haven't seen it yet.

Not exactly sure where you want to mount the gauges, but a while back I did this auxiliary gauge/switch panel. The prototype was drilled for one gauge, four switches and a USB power port, but the panel is sized to fit up to four 2 1/8" gauges. It could mount just behind the tray in the center of the dash or on top of the instrument cluster although in the latter position is does interfere with the view a bit if you're not as tall as I am. A few photos of the prototype:

I did it in fiberglass although it could be done to be 3d-printed as well, I just have lots of experience with fiberglass and I don't have a 3d printer. As it comes out of the mold before drilling:

Is this anything like what you're thinking of?

Doing things like this in fiberglass is pretty easy and very inexpensive.

 

[Moglocker]

Not exactly sure where you want to mount the gauges, but a while back I did this auxiliary gauge/switch panel. The prototype was drilled for one gauge, four switches and a USB power port, but the panel is sized to fit up to four 2 1/8" gauges. It could mount just behind the tray in the center of the dash or on top of the instrument cluster although in the latter position is does interfere with the view a bit if you're not as tall as I am. A few photos of the prototype:

View attachment 674148

View attachment 674149

I did it in fiberglass although it could be done to be 3d-printed as well, I just have lots of experience with fiberglass and I don't have a 3d printer. As it comes out of the mold before drilling:

View attachment 674150

Is this anything like what you're thinking of?

Doing things like this in fiberglass is pretty easy and very inexpensive.

Auto meter has one to fit there,too much in your face for me.,I have the a piller one that nobody makes anymore,

 

[hear]

Not exactly sure where you want to mount the gauges, but a while back I did this auxiliary gauge/switch panel. The prototype was drilled for one gauge, four switches and a USB power port, but the panel is sized to fit up to four 2 1/8" gauges. It could mount just behind the tray in the center of the dash or on top of the instrument cluster although in the latter position is does interfere with the view a bit if you're not as tall as I am. A few photos of the prototype:

View attachment 674148

View attachment 674149

I did it in fiberglass although it could be done to be 3d-printed as well, I just have lots of experience with fiberglass and I don't have a 3d printer. As it comes out of the mold before drilling:

View attachment 674150

Is this anything like what you're thinking of?

Doing things like this in fiberglass is pretty easy and very inexpensive.

close-ish. I have some individual gauge pods from GlowShift that have a stem on them because the're supposed to mount to a 3-gang gauge thing. The stem allows them to pivot in two dimensions. My idea was to cut off the stem and then recess them into the back section of the gauge bezel. There is quite a bit of open space back there, and also some space above the cluster itself depending on how far forward you sat them. You have them at the very front of the bezel, I was going to have them much further back. This allows them to sit lower and stays out of the field of vision.

I havent ruled out just cutting slots in the bezel and having the stems just slide through... they wouldn't be recessed, but it might still be low enough to not get in your normal line of sight.

Autometer makes a 3 gauge pod, but it has a huge base that makes it all not work. I thought about trimming it excessively, but there was too much material above the gauge vs the GlowShift pods.