oil pressure

Anonymous-0 · Dec 23, 2008

bought this old 91 dodge 150 4x4 with 318 engine the oil pressure is on the low side the oil lite only comes on when the key is first turned on and neveron at anyother time but theoil gague goes only just to the low sideof normal. i have changed the oil it was very dirty. picked up aoil sending unittoday but it is raning and freezing. maybe tomorrow i will get it changed but if that doesnt help what next the oil pump or rods and mains. any ideas welcome. the sending unit is a very easy thing to do. thanks

Gary in da UP · Dec 23, 2008

Pull a valve cover, check for crud. If cruddy , pull oilpan , clean and check pickup screen, if cruddy ,clean, if problem persists you prolly need bearings, pumps rarely fail

Michael Soldan · Dec 23, 2008

Check as Gary from da UP said, you have fresh oil, add a can of STP and that old Dodge will go forever

Phillip Tibbetts · Dec 23, 2008

Chances are that if the oil was cruddy the engine has not been well taken care of
(frequent oil changes) and the bearings are worn. Loss of oil pressure is especially noticable with main bearing wear. You didn't say if the oil pressure drops after warmup or is low on startup. Low oil pressure after warmup is a good sign of main bearing wear.

rrlund · Dec 23, 2008

Just had that problem with a White 2-135 that I overhauled. I went and bought a real fluid type oil pressure guage to test it. There was an actual 50 pounds of pressure when the electronic guage was running in the red. That's not to say that there wasn't an actual problem. When it warmed up,the pressure on the fluid guage was going low. Still don't know exactly how I fixed it. I dropped the pan,pulled the pump off,took the relief valve out and blew everything out again. Made up new gaskets and was super careful putting them back in. Problem seems to be solved. But if I was you,I'd for sure check it with an actual fluid guage before I tore into too much. Doesn't hurt to have a guage like that in your tool selection for testing things like that anyway.

Phillip Tibbetts · Dec 23, 2008

A good idea but a better idea is to put a mechanical oil pressure gauge on permanently. My Kubota and John Deere tractors both came with idiot lights only. The first thing I did was install a mechanical gauge. Now I can keep watch and know if there is any change in oil pressure before it is too late. When the idiot light comes on it is probably too late.

Jiles · Dec 23, 2008

Check oil pressure with a reliable mechanical gauge! From what you have stated, I dought that you have oil pressure problems. One sure way to tell is to get engine hot, if it is a standerd shift, load the engine while idling and notice gauge. You could also idle the engine down to a struggling idle speed, but with fuel injection, this is difficult.
All tractors and such are checked in this manner by me before purchase.

bill mart · Dec 23, 2008

had the same year and make truck, at 50,000 miles had to replace the main bearings.This was with the oil being changed every 2,000 miles.Bill M.

RalphWD45 · Dec 23, 2008

I have been running used 318s and 360s for 20 years, more or less, and have had one instance of failed bearings. Usually the engine fails , some other way before the bearings, become a problem. Do yourself a favor, and install a tube type of oil pressure guage, by removing the sending unit, and installing the brass fitting ,that comes with the guage. Then you can make an informed decision. These are very tough, dependable, engines. when I am ready to go, they are ready, cant ask for more than that!

oil pressure

Anonymous-0

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Gary in da UP

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Michael Soldan

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Phillip Tibbetts

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rrlund

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Phillip Tibbetts

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Jiles

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bill mart

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RalphWD45

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