birdmedic

I have a 93 bird lx 3.8 naturly asperated. Anyhow my oil pressure gauge reading low normal. Is my sending fubared or is there somthing to worry about. Car runs normally. Has a rough idle, but has since I got her. Also missing egr which im in middle of compiling list of parts needed to complete egr system. The delete was not done correctly by last owner. Car has only 56757 miles on her clock. All is stock. Except new parts iv replaced. Anyhow whats the deal with oil pressure gauge. I now the stock gauges arent that accuret. Where is the sending unit on my bird. Help please.
Thanks in advance.

tbird100636

Oil pressure sender is just above the oil filter, a single wire goes to it.

__________________
Master ASE Certified L1 Chrysler Technician- still a Ford fan at heart.
1964 Thunderbird Hardtop- Chantily Beige- 390 FE 4V V8-Uncle's Car
1966 Thunderbird Convertible- Red- 390 FE 4V V8- Uncle's other car- waiting for paint and body work!!!
1967 Mustang Convertible- Blue- 289 V8- helping a friend re-assemble this classic

ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, for the last couple decades the oil pressure gauge is just an analog idiot light. Meaning that Ford no longer uses a rheostat type sender. They use basically an off and on switch. If I remember correctly , you have to have less that 8 pounds of oil pressure to read zero on the gauge and anything above that reads normal.

__________________

Bert

That's correct, the sender just closes above 8 PSI.

__________________
Bert

birdmedic

Ok this helps. The gauge reads below the n on the word normal. Every other bird ive been in the gauge reads alot higher. In thd middle of thd word normal.

Bert

There's a resistor in the circuit that let's the gauge go to that point. Unhook the wire at the sensor and the gauge should go down. Ground that wire and the gauge will go up.

__________________
Bert

Bert

I should mention that there's a resistor in the cluster that will only let the gauge go about to the middle when you ground the wire.

__________________
Bert

ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, way back when, maybe before you were born, we used to have to replace the CVR quite often for this type of gauge problems. CVR was short for Cluster Voltage Regulator If the fuel, oil pressure, and temp gauges read high or low, [all of them] It was the CVR. If it was only one gauge, it could be the gauge itself, but most likely a sender problem. Volt or Amp gauges were not controlled by the CVR.

The newer cars have changed the name of this to IVR [Instrument Voltage Regulator] and I think it is called a module now?

__________________

birdmedic

Thank yoi for all the info. On the 3.8 the oil pressure sender is by the alternater. The chiltons book shows it there. I cant find it

chipset

The sender is under the power steering pump and on top of the compressor. You have
to remove the power steering pump.