Um...what do you mean you know where the gauges should be? I'm not sure about the temp, but the oil pressure gauge runs off a switch. It will read anywhere in the 'normal' range as long as there is 7PSI! You can't possibly know what is going on with the stock oil pressure gauge. Compared to that the gas gauge is a precision instrument

 

Correct, the oil pressure gauge will show good pressure as long as the pressure at the sending unit is 7psi or greater. The coolant temp gauge does actually function as a true gauge (unlike the oil pressure gauge), however it's not exactly useful.

 

I didn't know the oil pressure sender was just a switch. I checked with a mech. gauge & it showed a little over 60 psi. The needle stays right at the ma in normal. I figured that's where it should be.

JIM.

 

Yeah, 60 is about right at start up, but after the oil heats up some the pressure will drop and rise with the engine speed. Like if you come off the highway it could go to 40psi at a stop sign and then back up to 55 on a gravel road. A real gauge would've been moving for changes like that. the scary part is how low the pressure has to be for the switch to turn over. So you could be doing 70 on the highway with a trailer on and thinking everything is hunky-dory and suddenly have your check engine light on and your oil pressure gauge pegged on the low side. and who knows what's happening to your engine. this is the stuff nightmares are made of

 

Mine is weird then....At Start up, its 55psi.....Then after it warms up...At 1,000 rpms, its 20psi, idling... (Book calls for 40psi@ 2,000rpms).....

Thats on my 92' I6.....

 

yup the oil gauge is just an idiot light lol!! plan on a mech oil gauge of some sort if you really want to know whats going on (and recommended too)

 

Idk, mine is 302, and i'm running some heavier oil. It was just an example.

And i'm just not too hot on the true mechanical gauges. Oil in the cab would suck, as it would anywhere under the hood where it shouldn't be. I figure that a modern electronic sensor will be pretty darn close to accurate, and ANYTHING is better than stock.

 

im kinda indifferent as to if i want mech or digi, I may go digi on the oil gauge as i find newer things now days seem to be better in accuracy but mech for what ever else i want