oil light on at freeway speed

[Patrick t.]

The oil is fine, it just goes on at certain times on the freeway but
not always. loose wire, sender unit faulty or other???????????????

It is a 1984 240 gl. An opinions are helpful.

 

[Bev A. Kupf]

The oil is fine, it just goes on at certain times on the freeway but
not always. loose wire, sender unit faulty or other???????????????

It is a 1984 240 gl. An opinions are helpful.

Have you temporarily replaced the pressure-sending unit with an oil
pressure gauge and verified pressure is okay? If so, then I'm guessing
a loose connection at the dashboard end, only because I've heard of
that happening. My understanding is that the sending units are fairly
simple and don't do bad very easily. The sending units used to be
very cheap, but getting it out requires a deep socket.

Beverly

 

[Boris Mohar]

The oil is fine, it just goes on at certain times on the freeway but
not always. loose wire, sender unit faulty or other???????????????

It is a 1984 240 gl. An opinions are helpful.

Sometimes the insulation in the vicinity of the sender can abrade by rubbing
against a chassis. Eventually the wire inside will complete a circuit to
ground which will turn on the oil light. Oil pressure sender works the same
way by grounding that wire at low pressure.



Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see:
Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things) http://www.viatrack.ca

 

[Patrick t.]

Have you temporarily replaced the pressure-sending unit with an oil
pressure gauge and verified pressure is okay? If so, then I'm guessing
a loose connection at the dashboard end, only because I've heard of
that happening. My understanding is that the sending units are fairly
simple and don't do bad very easily. The sending units used to be
very cheap, but getting it out requires a deep socket.

Beverly

I will try that. I suppose an 02 socket should work. Thank you.

 

[Patrick t.]

Sometimes the insulation in the vicinity of the sender can abrade by rubbing
against a chassis. Eventually the wire inside will complete a circuit to
ground which will turn on the oil light. Oil pressure sender works the same
way by grounding that wire at low pressure.

I will take a look at that insulation too. I had a 1952 MGTD that used
to do that when the tac shimied where it entered the distributor
housing, drove me nuts. Thanks

 

[James Sweet]

I will take a look at that insulation too. I had a 1952 MGTD that used
to do that when the tac shimied where it entered the distributor
housing, drove me nuts. Thanks

Unless it's been fixed before, the insulation is certainly ratty at this
point, the whole wiring harness tends to disintegrate within the outer
sheath, they corrected this in the late 80s.

 

[Patrick t.]

Unless it's been fixed before, the insulation is certainly ratty at this
point, the whole wiring harness tends to disintegrate within the outer
sheath, they corrected this in the late 80s.

Yea, I thought I caught that somewhere before. I bought this car for
$450, put new brakes, rotors, etc. on it and cleaned it up nice and am
going to give it to a friend of mine. He is getting on in years so I
want to make sure I don't turn him into a involuntary mechanic or
worry him half to death every time he gets on a freeway.