Oil pressure gauge always falls to zero while driving

JoshJ04

JoshJ04

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2020
Messages
31
Location
New Jersey
1997 TJ, 4.0L

Okay so, I've had this issue for the past 4 years that I've owned my Jeep. A couple minutes after I start driving, my oil pressure will drop from 40 down to 0 and will stay there. Check Gauges light will come on and it'll beep. After about 30 seconds, the needle will begin to move from 0 to 20, then back to 0. It'll start to move up just a little, then crash at 0 again. It'll keep doing this until I shut the Jeep off. I thought it was the oil pressure sensor, so I replaced it and it worked! Well, for about a month. Then, the cycle repeated. I was going to replace the senor again, but I'm not sure if something is actually wrong or why the sensor keeps failing. Thanks!
 
Was that replacement oil pressure sender a store brand or cheap online brand? Where sensors are concerned it's always (!) best to stick with the best quality you can find whose cost difference when compared to a store brand won't break the bank. Since Mopar senders are almost non-existent now I'd probably go with a Standard Motor Products PS284 like in the Standard Replacement section at https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...tch+&+relay,oil+pressure+sender+/+switch,4588

This was years ago when my son who was still living with us told me his Grand Cherokee's oil pressure gauge had stopped working. The dealer's parts department was closed so I purchased a store brand Duralast sender from AutoZone. It took two more trips back to AutoZone that Sunday to get one that finally worked correctly, and all were identical but all three worked differently. One even worked backwards, the oil pressure dropped when the engine was revved and it rose as the rpms dropped. The third sender was the charm. He wrecked his Grand Cherokee not long after that so I have no idea how long that sender would have lasted but I suspect not long lol.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Since Mopar senders are almost non-existent now I'd probably go with a Standard Motor Products PS284 like in the Standard Replacement section at https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...tch+&+relay,oil+pressure+sender+/+switch,4588
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My SMP oil pressure sender (p/n PS317) actually just went out on me last week and I only put it in barely over a year ago so not sure that’s the brand to go to either.
Unless it wasn’t my sender and my oil pressure actually tanked on the highway and my motor actually lasted another 15mins to get home without any unusual sounds.
The Mopar is actually on RockAuto still but it didn’t show up in the catalog for me, googled the p/n and then it showed up on RockAuto.
 
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I would start by checking the electrical connector wiring and contacts and then move onto the orifice in the threaded hole where the oil pressure sensor screws into. Next would be to rent an oil pressure gauge from the local Auto Parts store and test the oil pressure while the engine is cold warming up and warmed up to verify against what you are seeing the the sensor and factory gauge.
 
James9100 said:
My SMP oil pressure sender (p/n PS317) actually just went out on me last week and I only put it in barely over a year ago so not sure that’s the brand to go to either.
Unless it wasn’t my sender and my oil pressure actually tanked on the highway and my motor actually lasted another 15mins to get home without any unusual sounds.
The Mopar is actually on RockAuto still but it didn’t show up in the catalog for me, googled the p/n and then it showed up on RockAuto.
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Good to know.
 
I struggled with my oil pressure gauge... Mopar fixed 90 percent of it...but pulling apart the loom, cleaning everything up...need split loom and tape...and most importantly resecuring the harness so it wasn't hanging on the oil sensor wire...helped the rest of the way

-Mac
 
I have some similar kind of problem. About one out of every 50 starts or so the oil pressure gauge never comes alive and I get the check gauges light. I shut the key off, start again and everything will be fine for a month or so. Haven’t bothered to pursue it
 
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