What does your oil psi read or where on the factory gauge.
The factory gauge looks like this. \_I_/ the center is 40 psi.

I have been getting readings lower then i remember but above the lower mark.
When cold, summer, start up and runs on the / after it drops to the center or just above it when warm. When I stop or get home for cool down it is just above the \ about the thickness of the needle or the black line.

I don't remember it being that low but I can not really remember if it did this last year when it hit 100 outside.
I had another truck that was doing that and started droping more and more to under the lower line it should be. It was not a dodge and the sender was going bad.

If this lower PSI is the norm for being hot outside then fine, if others had it do this and ended up with a sender unit problem I want to replace it soon.
It reads in the OK area, just lower then I remember.

Any help would be great.

Also does anyone make a guage that fits ontop the oil filter that I can put on and leave there. Don't really want a guage in the inside of the truck, just to watch and see that the factory is in line or if it goes south, look at the other to see that I'm fine.
I know the factory guage is just a BS gauge and reads psi to tell you that you have oil PSI and not a real number...

 

anyone ?

 

The oil PSI gauge in the truck is an idiot light. It is set to read in the middle if the oil is above a certain psi. Lots of guys on here have added a real psi gauge to the fitting on top og the oil filter housing.

 

SO where and how.

 

I haven't paid much attention to the detail but I know it has been the same since new because I would notice the change. I will look today when I do a run but at start up I'm the same as you.

Sorry I can't help much until later.

 

Mine varies from just below center to just above center.

 

Even if it is an idiot guage, mine runs how you would expect any oil pressure guage to respond to engine rpm, rises slightly on throttle and settles at idle. It has to be getting some sort of signal. What does the extra guage read compared to the dash from someone with one installed? Are they close?

As to the OP question, start up just shy of the high normal mark, running at temperature a needles space high between the center and the needle, warm idle, two needle spaces low between the center and the needle.

 

I believe the one accessible fitting on top of the oil filter mount is 1/8"NPT. Should be pretty easy to get a gauge on there. Might need a threaded extension to get it up a little higher. You can probably do the whole thing gauge and all for $20-30. Just use a mechanical gauge. Autometer or whatever.

 

I remember some of the oil gauges that just screw into the block or oil port, no wires and sender unit just a gauge.
Anyone know who still sells them.

 

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-2-5-...24086/10002/-1

check out this page for some examples

 

more...

http://www.jegs.com/p/Auto-Meter/Aut...63860/10002/-1

 

I used a 0 - 100 fuel pressure guage and it works great. There are several choices of where to pull from. The top of the oil filter housing is a good one, as is the oil gallery on the driver's side of the engine block. There are some allen wrench plugs above the ECM.

--Eric

 

It gets signal from the ECM it uses engine RPM and temp and sends the signal to the gauge on those pramiters not acual pressure, the engine uses a 6psi presure switch if oil pressure falls below that it turns on the check gauge light

 

The dash gauge (idiot light that moves) does not move like oil psi on a diesel does. Mine reads from 38-42 and thats about it.. It is ONLY accurate at 1200-1300 rpms on a warm engine. Really the truck idles at 20psi and cruises at about 58-64 psi. When its cold it will be 75-85.

The only thing the ECM knows is if the truck has 6 psi or not, there is no pressure transducer on the block, just a 6 psi switch.

I am using a DiPricol 0-100 fuel gauge, works perfect. I am pulling from above the ECM, I think its a better place because its not effected by my bypass pulling oil from the same spot, closer to what the engine is seeing for pressure.

 

Quote: The dash gauge (idiot light that moves) does not move like oil psi on a diesel does. Mine reads from 38-42 and thats about it.. It is ONLY accurate at 1200-1300 rpms on a warm engine. Really the truck idles at 20psi and cruises at about 58-64 psi. When its cold it will be 75-85.

The only thing the ECM knows is if the truck has 6 psi or not, there is no pressure transducer on the block, just a 6 psi switch. End Quote.

That's what I understood and expected but they did do a pretty good smoke screen on the guage action