I have replaced oil pressure sending unit

Tiny
CHRISTOPHER07
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
  • 80,000 MILES
Now my oil pressure always reads over 80, even at idel or driving
Monday, June 11th, 2012 AT 7:07 AM

5 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,871 POSTS
First have the actual pressure tested with a mechanical gauge to determine if it's a gauge problem or if the pressure is too high. If you really have 80 psi, I'd expect to see blue smoke from the tail pipe from too much oil on the cylinder walls overloading the oil control rings.
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Monday, June 11th, 2012 AT 7:17 AM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
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Did you replace the sending unit BECAUSE the pressure was reading so high, or did this start since the sending unit was replaced?
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Monday, June 11th, 2012 AT 7:18 AM
Tiny
CHRISTOPHER07
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
No blue smoke, its runs great. I hit the old sending unit with my oil filter wrench while changing the oil, it broke where the plastic and metal come together. The old one made the gauge move un steady in my opinion.I never knew what it should be in the first place. Could they have sent me the wrong unit its not the same size as the old one. This one is shorter in body lengh
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Monday, June 11th, 2012 AT 8:37 AM
Tiny
CHRISTOPHER07
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  • 3 POSTS
By the way thankyou for getting back to me or is the unit defective. One wire connection one contact on both sides
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Monday, June 11th, 2012 AT 8:40 AM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
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There was a lot of trouble in the '90s with the sending units causing fluctuating readings, especially at idle, so we did replace a lot of them. Also, there are different ones for different engines. The one I'm most familiar with is Chrysler's Mitsubishi 3.0L in the Caravans. On those it is acceptable to have only 6 psi at idle. That's way too low for most other engines. Their sending units are calibrated to keep the gauge reading in the "good" range at idle but that would result in a very high reading if it it was installed on other engines. If your high reading just started with the new sending unit, it sounds like you have one meant for a different engine or it was boxed wrong. Sometimes people check multiple parts at the parts store to match up a new part to their old one, then they put them back in the wrong boxes.
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Monday, June 11th, 2012 AT 9:16 PM

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