GREENCREW, the reason you need a real oil pressure guage, is because by the time your IDIOT LIGHT turn on, you most likely have already lost your motor to major damage. Don't you think they call it an IDIOT LIGHT for a reason....................................

You have to wonder why FORD when to so much trouble to install a FAKE guage when a working guage would not be that much more money...

 

Did you not read SSCULLY's message?

 

And YES, Whackemnstackem, yours is the same way..... Take a look at it the next time you are driving. It sits at 2/3 deflection and NEVER MOVES. That is all it will tell you after you start your truck even if the oil starts to pump out...... Great Idea, don't you think??? Why did they bother putting a guage there to begin with... they just could have put in a real Idiot Light.

 

thats more of what i meant sscully, so i know what pressures my truck normally runs in everyday situations and i can tell when something is off, pressures droppin, whatever. and i had noticed it was at the same spot usually but with no #s that guage wasnt too much help if it was working. i never would have assumed that ford would have stooped that horribly low. thats extremely poor. they shouldve never compromised quality of their trucks just because some people are simply too stupid to know how to use one.

 

The working gauge would be about 10.00 more per truck in parts cost, so 2.5 multiplier would take it to 25.00 extra per truck dealer real cost, so at invoice pricing this is 50.00 extra per truck.

Sounds like nothing, but add up every 10.00 item that should be changed ( for everyone's opinion ) and you have a truck that costs 500.00 more easy, and not everyone wanted all 10 items, so you have the trips to the dealer for the "why does xyz happen", so the warranty costs are now increased for those 10 items, so add in another 300.00 to cover this, now it is 800.00 more at invoice pricing.

Also, which mfgr do you think has a real working oil pressure gauge in a vehicle anymore ?

Funny part, how many did not know ( after owning their truck for years ) that it was not a real oil pressure gauge ? Claims of knowing how their truck is at specific times, but still no clue it was an on / off gauge

 

ok. im pretty sure weve established what the problem is here and why ford did it, but now weve still got to fix said problem. does anybody have any experience from replacing the dummy guage with a normally functioning oil gauge?? i would think that if i was to go get a pre 87 oil sendin unit from either napa or a junkyard and then install that in place of my oil switch (with appropriate adapting pipe) and then jumped out the 20 ohm resistor. that Should make it a functioning oil pressure gauge??? obviously it wouldnt change the fact that its simply reading low,normal,high and no specific #'s or pressures but it would still be a functioning gauge that shows me where my pressure is. anybody got any input on that?

 

whackemstackem, that is why I started this entry, on how to make the FAKE gauge work like a real oil pressure gauge. I guess the only choice is to get an after market guage that will install on the "A" pillar or under the dash.

I am an "old timer" that has always gotten used to watching the dash. Changes from what is viewed "normal" can be a pre-cursor to a pending problem. You watch the Temp Gauge and know that when it reaches normal temp that the heater will blow hot air. If it does not reach normal temp, maybe the thermostat is sticking. You watch the gas guage and know that when it get near "E", it is time to stop and get gas and you watch the SPEEDO to know that you are not exceeding the posted limit. Hell, you watch the TECH and know that the trans downshifted, upshifted, etc..... Why not be able to watch the Oil gauge and know that the oil system came up to "normal pressure" for your truck and is a steady pressure?

Thanks again all for your thoughts. Time to buy a real Oil pressure gauge and install it.

Just think, that factory $10 unit could save my $7000 engine ........... What an idea!!

 

I'm not sure trying to replace the gauge with a new one and a new pressure sender is really a good idea because it MIGHT confuse the PCM. I'm reasonably certain the PCM is telling your current gauge what to display, which means it is receiving a signal from the current pressure sensor. If that signal changes (from a different sender), the PCM may decide something is wrong and it could throw a code.

Of course, I'm guessing here, but I think either more research is in order before trying this modification or, make sure you can easily "reverse" the installation if things don't work out quite the way you hope.

- Jack

 

That's not always the case. I've seen it a few times with local kids. I"m sure the motor has suffered damage, but it's not lost. We just toped it off and showed them how the dip stick works.

You really need to know the flow rate and your oil level. It's too expensive to measure flow rate, so manufacturers give you oil pressure and assume it is flowing when pressure is present. For oil level you need to get out and pull the dip stick. The lower your oil level, the faster oil breaks down and the more likely engine wear occurs, that's the knowledge that makes a difference.

The average driver today would never notice an oil pressure gauge the instant it started dropping too low. An idiot light is much more effective. It's much better to let a pressure gauge monitor that information, and alert the driver if it drops below a certain min acceptable number.

 

Dude, do you have an Edge Programmer? If not, then you should get one. You'll love the info it displays. I would love to have my oil pressure displayed, but not enough to cover the cost of installing something to display it.

 

Things that "cannot be done" by you aren't necessarily the same as for anyone else.



By your reasoning, I "cannot" put a PSOM in my '83 Bronco.



...or put a factory low fuel light in an '87-96 truck.



They're all 12V -gnd systems, and you can pretty much migrate any of them from one vehicle to another. Even if they're different voltage or polarity. Even if they run off a data bus instead of a direct feed. It just might take a little more effort.

 

No, I did not say that, please do not make inferences and sign my name to them.

I said you cannot put the old gauge in a 97+ MY cluster. This is not just me, but you also.
Please watch the model years on the profile when providing assistance, it will save members a lot of headaches later.

If you had looked at any F-150 cluster newer than a 1994 MY truck, you would know that the cluster is a single PCB, not just gauges with a common mount ( which is what you are talking about ), which means you are saying you can cut apart a multi layer PCB, install the old style oil pressure gauge in in, and still have the remainder of the cluster working. Doubt it, unless you are going to bridge all the old circuits with wire after cutting out the gauge.

You really need to stop applying 1996 technology to 97+ newer F-150s, it is really bad advice.

 

Let's face it. Ford should have provided a REAL gauge if they went to all the trouble to install a pretend one. Why not just paint head lights on the front like NASCAR and save the money during production to install real ones.... They will look just a good but as the gauge does, will not help you a bit.................... GMC and Chevy's have REAL GAUGES!!!!

 

hell i check my oil every week. Hell if the gauge is fake its fake. But i bet if your oil pressure drops to a critical spot it will signal it for you. Do what normal people do and check you vehicles every week. Not to hard to just check the filter and oil.

 

Read the post above, re: costs.

Now you are just being stupid. You think this makes any sense ? The gauge does provide some info, when the oil pressure drops below the minimum level, it will read 0.

Not sure what model you are talking about, GM uses the same idiot light to gauge as Ford does on the lines that I have looked at.
Just checked the Chevy and Pontiac manuals I have, and it is the same. You might think they are real, the diagram shows a switch, not the variable switch like the cylinder head temp uses.

One other thing :
More than checking your oil every time you fuel ? I'd say no.