replacing 5.7 oil pressure sender....

[CliffA]

i believe i need to replace the oil pressure sender that feeds the oil pressure gauge....the gauge is reading '0' pressure but the engine still runs fine with no alarm.....i 'think' i found the sender on the port side of the engine down below the exhaust manifold....i cannot see the sender so i was going by 'feel'....it has a single wire with a press on connector on the end and is sort of 'bell' shaped....the sender is not screwed directly into the engine block...it is screwed into some sort of extension fitting and the fitting is screwed into the engine block.....what was a little odd and somewhat alarming is i was able to easily rotate the sender/fitting assembly around 45* before the sender hit the exhaust.....althought the fitting appears to be VERY loose in the engine block i have no signs of an oil leak.....

questions:
1. should this extension fitting be that loose in the engine block?
2. does the orientation of the sender make any difference?...if i tighten the extension fitting snuggly into the engine block and the hole in the fitting that the sender screws into ends up pointing the sender straight up instead of pointing down does that make a difference in how the sender works?


thanks.

Cliff

 

[Lady Ashley SR560]

No and no. screw the extender in first and maybe use a thread sealant on it. I would position the sender away from the exhaust. Heat is never a good thing. however it will work in any position.

 

[CliffA]

No and no. screw the extender in first and maybe use a thread sealant on it. I would position the sender away from the exhaust. Heat is never a good thing. however it will work in any position.

thanks for the reply...i am now thinking that my oil pressure gauge may have stopped working because the fitting is so loose in the engine block it cannot sense the oil pressure.....not long ago i was cleaning the bilge with a water hose and a fairly powerful jet stream nozzle...i used the water jet to spray all around under the engine to force the 'gunk' in the bilge out in the open where i could remove it with a wet vac.....i sprayed the water jet into the garboard drain as well....as i am thinking about it now the oil pressure gauge stopped working shortly after i cleaned the bilge...it may be possible that the water jet forced the sender and fitting to be slightly unscrewed from the engine block to the point the sender no longer can sense the oil pressure...i will try to screw the fitting in tightly into the engine block to see if my oil pressure reading on the gauge returns...if not i will replace the sender....

cliff

 

[CliffA]

just an update to the thread....i finally had time to look at the oil pressure problem last night after work....the oil pressure sender and the oil pressure switch (wired to the fuel pump) are both mounted to the extension fitting that screws into the engine block....the oil pressure switch is screwed into the end of the fitting and the oil pressure sender is screwed into the fitting at 90* to the switch via a 'T' fitting....i removed the sender and left the switch screwed into the fitting...this allowed me to tighten the extension fitting a good 3-4 turns into the engine block...i reinstalled the sender and started the engine but still no oil pressure reading on the gauge...i found a replacement sender at NAPA auto parts (it is a marine sender) and got it today at lunch...i will install the new sender tonight and see if that fixes the problem...

cliff

 

[CliffA]

the new sender restored oil pressure reading on the gauge....all is well in 'whoville'.........

cliff