Different Gauge Question

[dan]

Discussions over temp gauges seem to be ongoing, But I have a question re the Oil Gauge. On Saturday I noticed the pressure gauge was not reaging anything!!! Obviously the first thing I did was pull over and check for leaks then checked the oil level. Everything was in order so I assumed all was ok and it was a dicky gauge sender or something. I took the car home quietly anyway, listening for strange noises or raising temp all the way. I understand it is possible to get an airlock in the oil pump which will give a ''0'' reading on the gauge but I have no idea a)where the oil pump is, and b) how to check it. Any suggestions????? Cheers Dan

[GreenV8S]

Oil pressure sensor is screwed into the oil filter head (i.e. the casting that the filter screws on to). This is on the drivers side of the engine, low down towards the front. (Look for the oil filter.) You will probably find there is an oil pressure switch there as well, that drives the MIL warning light. Both sensors are exposed to the elements and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a simply electrical fault from a corroded connector or broken wire here. Or even a wire simply fallen off. Cheers, Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

quote:Discussions over temp gauges seem to be ongoing, But I have a question re the Oil Gauge. On Saturday I noticed the pressure gauge was not reaging anything!!! Obviously the first thing I did was pull over and check for leaks then checked the oil level. Everything was in order so I assumed all was ok and it was a dicky gauge sender or something. I took the car home quietly anyway, listening for strange noises or raising temp all the way. I understand it is possible to get an airlock in the oil pump which will give a ''0'' reading on the gauge but I have no idea a)where the oil pump is, and b) how to check it. Any suggestions????? Cheers Dan

[amsterdam]

Beware Dan, I had something which started the same.... I've got a 93 Griff 4.3 with 90000 kms on the clock. One day I saw the oil pressure dropping to nil, accompanied by yellow Low Pressure warning light. I pulled over and checked the dipstick but no problem there. I rang the dealer and made a plan to take it in the next weekend since I'm not your average TVR mechanical nut, more of a drive it and love it type, and was sure that it was nothing more than a faulty Oil Pressure guage (yes, I've had TVRs before) - anyway, why would the oil level be OK ? Duh, how wrong can you be... three days later, having had this now three times (twice just after starting the engine when it was cold), heard a horrible clunk clunk and that was it as far as my engine was concerned. It turned out that there had been a bubble of air trapped deep in the engine which would explain the seemingly OK oil level. The dealer reckoned this was caused by a valve which squirts oil at high pressure getting intermittently stuck open (hence drop in pressure) and then closing itself again for some reason. They rebuilt the engine themselves (because I live in Holland and sending to the UK wasn't a realistic option) and it's going like a rocket now, though that sort of unexpected cost isn't what you would call 'normal running costs'. Take my advice, get it checked out. By the way, I don't know if it was related but just before this problem I had been to Germany and tried it out proper, so maybe I had pushed it a wee bit too far who knows. I did manage 250 kmsph with the roof down, pregnant wife, half a tank and boot full of booze... Edited by amsterdam on Tuesday 7th August 20:56

[angusfaldo]

Dan It does sound a bit as if you might have lost a connection to the oil sender. I recently had my oil sender go bad, but that normally pushes the needle all the way to the right, not drop it to zero. If there is no connection to the sender the symptoms would be more like yours. But as Amsterdam says (Hamsterdam as my 6 year old says) be very careful. Oil problems can be terminal for TVRs...

[dan]

Thanks for the response guys. I'm fairly positive its a dodgy connection as I regularly check the oil level and is doesn't change very much, there are definatly no leaks and there appears to be a reasonable amount of oil when I look in the filler cap. (and I dont get a warning light). However I've got the car booked in to get it checked out properly. I planned to get it serviced next month anyway. Thanks again Dan