1998 Dodge Ram 1500. New oil pump last year. Now pressure gauge drops when I come to a stop.?

Question

Gauge pops up a few seconds later. First pump lasted 150K, this one's 5K old. I can't be failing can it?? Can it just be a bad sensor? Lack of oil?

Answer 1

I have a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 and it did the same thing every time I stopped or slowed right down the oil pressure would drop and check gauges came on very annoying when you have to stop a lot I had my sensor changed and a day later it started again I was not happy I bought a new sensor for nothing, my brother is a mechanic he took my truck to work a few times to run test but nothing came up and one day he changed my oil and filter and since then my oil pressure has not dropped, he changed my oil to a heavier one it is more for diesel trucks but it works. My brother asked one of his mopar friends about it and he said it is common a lot of people have the same problem and they just switch oils and then they are fine. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Well, it could be the sending unit going bad. It is attached to the side of the engine block which has a wire going to the instrument panel to tell you the oil pressure is low or normal or even high. Now the unit itself is fairly cheap, yet a pain in the buttocks to get to. One thing I would advise BEFORE any more parts be replaced though: Get an engine oil flush done. Have it done twice BEFORE getting a new oil filter and oil put in. You could be suffering from severe oil varnish build-up which would slow down the flow of the oil for a few moments when the engine returns to normal idle speeds. Also, make sure you're using the right oil weight too. Using too light or even too high of an oil weight will cause problems you really don't want to know about!

Answer 3

Dodge trucks are notorious for failing oil pressure sensors. Check and make sure your oil is good and take a mechanical check of the oil pressure. It is supposed to be a high pressure oil pump, so pressure should be above 40 psi.

Another rule of thumb, when your gauge drops, does it drop fast? Listen for engine noises, like knocking or tapping. If none are present, good chance you have a bad pressure sending unit.

It is located just to the right of the distributor.

If pressure drops when you rev the engine, the oil pump pick up screen is probably clogged, but yours sounds more like a sending unit issue.

Answer 4

1998 Ram 1500

Answer 5

Perhapes you do have an oil pressure problem with your truck but the best advice I can offer you is to buy an aftermarket oil pressure gauge. The factor gauges on vehicles are often not very acurate. If you put an after market gauge in then you can be assured that it is really an issue and not a faulty gauge reading. I went through this with water tempature on one of my vehicles and then intalled an after market temperture gauge and found the original was not worth looking at!

Answer 6

if there is too much oil in your engine the crank lobes will whip up the oil and it will become foamy like whipping cream then when you press on the brake the oil surges forward and hits an air pocket thus you lose oil pressure, you can check your oil right after you have run your engine to see if it is foam, be sure you have the correct dip stick for your engine, you may want talk to a dodge dealership to confirm if this level (reading too much) is correct. which I doubt very much.

Answer 7

is the oil pressure going to zero, a good rule of thumb is 8 lbs of pressure per 1000 rpm, if you have less it may be doing engine damage, sensor and gage can give you inaccurate readings, a manual pressure test is the best way to know whats really going on

Answer 8

Just change the sending unit. I am suprized when you chasnged the pump you dident change the sending unit