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I have a strange problem with my oil pressure gauge. At startup the gauge reads a correct three quarter along the scale reading. Sometimes, the gauge will jump ( not progressively climb ) from the correct pressure to off the scale. My deductions so far are that it may be an electrical fault, possibly related to the cooling fans at the front of the vehicle. I have 2 afermarket fans at the front, one is controlled manually be means of a dash switch, the other is supposed to come on automatically when needed, but I have never seen it on, so I assume it isn't working. Could it be that the thermostat is trying to turn on the second fan, failing and somehow affecting the voltage to the pressure gauge.
Original Post
Neil, typically when you get weird gauge readings, its the central ground stud under the dash. This mounts about 6 separate ground wires and if a leaky windshield or condensation get under there, corrosion does strange things to the gauges (and sometimes to other electrical devices). Access is a little easier if you pull the gauge panel out of the way. Untighten the nut, wire brush everything and re-tighten but don't break it! FYI- what the oil p. gauge reads and what the engine is actually pumping are almost always different. I use the dash gauge to tell me if I have ANY oil pressure, and a mechanical gauge mounted on a tee fitting directly on the engine to tell me how much pressure I actually have.
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