In my truck my oil gage goes crazy. it is never still except for when it is idleing and when i am cruising at a constant speed for a while. so everytime i accelerate or decelerate, it jumps around like crazy. i think it might be a malfunctioning gage. it jumps from zero to normal really fast but the engine doesnt change at all. what should i look at to determine if it is a gage problem or a engine problem? my buddy told me to put in a manual oil gage...what does that mean exactly and how would i do that? my odometer is also broken so i think it may just be that the cluster could be breaking? this weekend i am going to tear into the dash and see if i can figure some of this out. I have a 1997 f150 with the 4.6L V8. automatic transmission. If anyone has an idea of what i should look for or even how to fix it or if they have had this problem before...it would be nice to know. thanks for yalls help.

 

if yer really low on oil it will jump around while driving and slowing down, do to it splashin around...yer not low on oil are ya??

 

nope...i checked the oil and it is where it is supposed to be and looks fairly new.

 

Replace the sender switch. They're a common failure item.

The gauge is nothing more than a glorifed mechanical idiot light, it's not actually measuring pressure, only the presence of a minimum pressure (around 4 psi)

Steve

 

where would i find the sender switch...is that like at the engine or behind the cluster?

But i was thinking about putting a manual oil pressure gage in...does this benefit me in anyway? i know that my buddy has one in his truck and keeps close watch of it...of course he has the chevy 454 big block in it so maybe he needs to watch it...i dont know. how would i put a gage like that in?

 

The switch screws into the oil filter adapter. The adapter has different configurations depending on whether you have 2 or 4 wheel drive.

Find the filter, look for a single-wire sensor screwed into the same chunk of metal.

If you were to install a real gauge, it would go into the same hole, either as a replacement or tee'd into the same port.

Steve

 

now could it be that the wire is just messed up or do you think that the switch is broken?

is the sensor in a place that if i were to take it out, oil would come rushing down on me?

 

My truck did the same thing last week... the light kept blinking off and on... then came a noise. Not sure if the oil pump could be the problem or the knocking means its too late and its time for a new motor??

 

Ok well yesterday i decided I wanted to change the oil anyways so i replaced the switch while i was down there...and that was the problem...the gage reads right where it is supposed to be now. Thanks for yalls help.