Started to work this morning and the truck dings at me, tells me to check gauges. I scan the gauges and , no oil pressure!! But wait, the engine sounds fine, no knocking or thumping to be heard. Hmmmm. Shut down and start back up and still no pressure on gauge. Got to work, (only about 1 mile) shut the truck down, turn the key to run position and I have about 80 lbs oil pressure! Good pressure seeing as the truck is not even running! Start the truck back up and the gauge falls back to 0. I am leaning toward the oil pressure sending unit. Anyone out there have any thing like this happen to them? Do you think it is the sending unit?

Jim

 

Sending unit is very likely. Check out this TSB:

http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2001/09-001-01.htm

Also, Don't let them re-flash the ECM to read no less than 40psi pressure. This is such a bad decision IMHO. Even if pressure drops below 40psi, the gauge won't tell you. It was a patch job effort to avoid replacing sending units - again IMHO!

 

Sounds like the sending unit Jim.

 

OlBlue,

Thanks for the reply, I checked the TSB, but my engine serial # is not in the specified range.

Hey Chuck! Good to hear from you! Yea, I am still leaning toward the sending unit. Anyone out there bought on recently? I wonder what they are costing now...

Jim

 

where can you check the pressure manually? is there a spot on the engine where you can hook up a mechanical guage quickly and check it out?

 

Checked with the dealer earlier... part not covered under my extended warranty > they have a sending unit in stock, for $187.00!!!!! Checked Napa, but they don't have any, must be a dealer item only. Any other thoughts before I go plunk down the bananas for the sender unit? I kinda feel like i need to fix this right away.

Jim

 

This is a common problem.....not many ways to check it other than installing a mechanical test pressure guage. I understand Autozone has them for around ten bucks. Screw it into the port (1/8 NPT) on top of the oil filter housing and start the truck. That way, you'll at least know its the sender.

Is that $187 from dodge??? - if so call Cummins, it will be around half that price.

 

For those of you that might run into this problem, the sending unit I bought from my Dodge dealer is in a Cummins box with a Chrysler label. I peeled back the Chrysler label and found the Cummins number on it. The number is

4088390


You should be able to pick up this part at a better price than at Dodge.

All donations for this PRICELESS information will be glady accepted!! ;D ;D

 

What was the Cummins price?

 

I don't know, the nearest Cummins place is 100 miles from me so I paid the dealer price

Jim

 

Sorry I couldn't save you the aggrivation sooner but mine did the same exact thing last year this time and where I work there is a Cummins dealer and got mine for 68 and tax. Like I said, sorry I didn't see this post sooner. :-[

 

This same happened to me about two weeks ago, Look under "no oil pressure" For more advice that I got from here to. My truck is a 1999. It scared the **** out of me when I saw my truck had no oil pressure. Im assuming that was your problem to?

 

I did check with the dealer and they said the same thing. Not covered but could have one in two days so I put a mechanical guage on it and drove it with the guage taped to the windshield. Got the sending unit from Cummins the same day it went bad and put it on. Dealer called me two days later and said they have the sending unit and I asked how much because it wasn't covered under warranty and the said 165. So I went to the parts counter and asked to see the unit and he showed me it and it was the Cummins part in a Cummins box with a Mopar label stuck on it. I asked him why it cost so much and he said because it is a diesel part. So I pulled out the box from the Cummins garage and the reciept for 68 bucks and asked him what they were going to do with the other 95 bucks. It was PRICELESS!

 

UPDATE:

Installed the new pressure sending unit today, and things are back to normal. Time to install... from opening the hood to walking back into the house... 15 minutes! (Hint, take the fuel filter off the manifold and swing it out of the way.)

Jim

 

I paid the local Dodge ******* to change mine last Spring; I just didn't feel like messsing with it. Next time I'll do it myself with a part purchased from Cummins.